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THE  Dim  WOI(LD 


Compendium  of  Spiritual 


NEW    WHITE    CROSS     LITERATURE. 


The  New  White  Cross  Literature  is  a  continuation  of  a  similar  line  of  thoughts  presented 
to  the  public  some  time  since,  and  is  from  the  same  source  ;  the  only  difference  being  in 
the  methods  employed  in  their  presentation.  It  is  our  purpose  to  continue  the  production 
of  such  works  as  will  best  represent  our  respective  spheres  of  thought. 


NEW  YORK: 
CHARLES    B.    REED.    PUBLISHER, 

164,    166    A.   168    FULTON    ST. 
1893 


COPYRIGHT,    1893,    BY 
AUGUSTA    W.    FLETCHER,    M.    D. 

ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  insufficient  explanation  offered  for  the  various  indications  of 
a  spiritual  life,  has  led  to  a  desire,  on  the  part  of  every  inquiring 
mind,  to  learn  more  of  the  hereafter,  and  of  the  action  of  the  other 
life  upon  this. 

Systems  of  theology  have  arisen,  from  time  to  time,  played  their 
part  on  the  stage  of  life,  and  have,  eventually,  passed  out  of  existence. 
That  each  has  served  its  purpose  for  a  time  is  admittedly  true  ;  but 
a  larger  intelligence  has  demanded  a  more  liberal  religion,  and, 
to-day,  we  stand  amidst  the  crumbling  walls  of  past  opinions  which 
are  soon  destined  to  mingle  with  the  dust  under  our  feet. 

The  mind  of  a  man,  in  seeking  to  grapple  with  this  problem  of 
vital  importance,  has  turned  toward  nature,  and,  through  her  myste- 
rious workings,  has  found  a  partial  solution,  at  least,  of  what  has, 
for  so  long  a  time,  enlisted  his  attention. 

That  some  have  found  in  the  present  phases  of  Spiritual  Philosophy 
much  that  is  comforting  and  true,  will  be  admitted ;  but  we  are  in- 
clined to  go  a  step  further  and  say  that  an  arrangement  of  all  of  its 
laws,  and  the  addition  of  many  others,  is  necessary  before  a  compre- 
hensive idea  can  be  given  or  received.  Accordingly,  we  have  taken 
upon  ourselves  the  task  of  presenting,  in  simple  language,  such  ideas 
as  we  feel  will  stand  the  test  of  logical  reasoning,  and  have  added 
thereto  others  which  are  the  result  of  our  experience  in  both  worlds. 
It  is  impossible  to  separate  the  one  world  from  the  other ;  so  inter- 
blended  are  they  in  their  interests  and  action,  that  in  any  work  of 
this  kind,  a  running  analysis  between  the  two  is  necessary  for  our 
meaning  to  be  conveyed. 


2064903 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

If  we  have  leaned  more  toward  any  one  phase  of  religious  thought, 
it  is  because  others  have  been  so  narrowed  down  by  forms,  and 
circumscribed  by  adherents,  that  they  have  eliminated  the  human 
elements  through  which  the  divine  could  be  comprehended.  In 
Spiritualism,  however,  humanity  stands  as  a  witness  of  God  upon 
earth,  and  only  through  knowing  mankind  will  it  be  possible  to 
apprehend  the  infinite  even  in  the  smallest  degree. 

We  have  chosen  the  method  for  transmitting  our  thoughts  that 
has  best  served  our  purpose,  and  we  expect  that  the  thoughts  alone 
will  be  the  subject  of  criticism.  We  do  not  hold  that  we  have  told 
the  whole  truth,  or  that  we  should  be  condemned  because  we  have 
not.  Jesus  intimated  to  his  followers  that  there  were  many  things 
he  had  to  say,  but  they  were  not  prepared  to  hear  them  then ;  so 
there  are  many  thoughts  that  crowd  themselves  upon  our  minds 
which  we  shall  gladly  give  when  there  is  a  place  for  them  in  the 
world.  Until  then  we  shall  content  ourselves  with  giving  such 
measure  of  truth  as,  in  our  judgment,  the  world  demands,  feeling 
that  an  honest  thought  was  never  uttered  in  vain. 

Those  of  our  readers  who  have  been  spiritually  awakened  will,  we 
believe,  find  much  in  these  pages  that  will  commend  itself ;  while 
those  who  are  seeking  the  light  may,  perhaps,  catch  the  crimson 
glow  that  precedes  the  dawning,  and  will  press  onward.  There  are 
many  to  whom  our  words  will  mean  nothing ;  be  that  as  it  may,  this 
effort  is  sent  forth  with  the  purpose,  only,  of  awakening  a  realization 
of  the  infinite  possibilities  of  man,  and  the  destiny  of  the  human  soul. 

AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS. 

PACE. 

INTRODUCTION,  3 

THE  BODY,  THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  SOUL,  9 

THE  PHYSICAL  AND  SPIRITUAL  NATURE,  17 

THE  SPIRIT  AND  ITS  SPHERE  OF  ACTION,  25 

THE  AURA,  31 

MENTAL  STATES,       -  35 

MENTAL  OR  SPIRITUAL  SCIENCE,  43 

MENTAL  HEALERS,    -  49 

CRIME  BY  INHERITANCE,  61 

CONDITIONS  PRODUCING  CRIME,  65 

IDIOCY,      -  69 

INSANITY,       -  75 

OBSESSION,  78 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  SLEEP,  85 

Do  WE  TRAVEL  WHEN  WE  SLEEP  .-   -  91 

WHAT  is  DEATH  ?  97 

MODERN  SPIRITUALISM.  113 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  GOD?       -  117 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  THE  BIBLE?  118 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  THE  DEVIL?  119 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  A  SAVIOR?    -  120 
Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  HEAVEN  AND  HELL?    -     122 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  PRAYER?       -  123 

ARE  THERE  EVIL  SPIRITS?  124 

MEDIUMSHIP  AND  SPIRITUAL  PHENOMENA,   -  129 

PHYSICAL  MEDIUMS,  133 

TRANCE  MEDIUMSHIP,    -  136 

HEALING  MEDIUMSHIP,  140 

INSPIRATIONAL  MEDIUMSHIP,    -  141 

MATERIALIZATION,    -  -    146 

REMARKS  UPON  MEDIUMSHIP,  -  153 

THEOSOPHY  AND  OCCULTISM,  163 

OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE,  173 

THE  SUICIDE'S  STORY,  -     183 

A  GLIMPSE  INTO  THE  SPIRITUAL  WORLD,  197 

SOME  OF  THE  SUBTLE  LAWS  OF  LIFE,  217 

THE  SPIRITUAL  IN  LITERATURE,  235 

HAS  MAN  LIVED  MORE  LIVES  THAN  ONE?  -    249 
SUGGESTIVE  THOUGHTS,            -           -                      -          273 


PART  1. 

THE  BODY,  THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  SOUL, 


THE  EODY,  THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  SOUL. 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congrex,  in  the  yew  1893,  by  AUGUSTA  W.  FLCTCHU,  M.  !>., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington.) 


The  body,  sustaining,  as  it  does,  close  relationship  to 
the  laws  of  physical  life,  is  the  external  representation 
of  man.  It  is  so  constructed  that  each  part  moves  and 
acts  in  unison  with  each  other  part,  all  responsive  to 
the  common  centre  known  as  the  spirit  of  man,  but 
instead  of  the  body  acting  of  itself,  it  is,  in  reality,  acted 
upon  by  the  spirit,  of  which  it  is,  in  fact,  the  outer 
covering  and  to  which  it  owes  its  existence. 

The  human  body  has,  as-  a  body,  no  intelligence,  no 
activity,  no  purpose ;  but,  when  brought  under  the 
superior  intelligence  and  controlling  power  of  the  in- 
dwelling spirit,  it  becomes  all  activity  and  directness  of 
purpose.  You  know,  then,  the  man,  not  through  his 
physical  body,  per  se,  but  through  the  action  that  his 
spirit  (the  spiritual  man)  makes  upon  that  body. 

The  mind  is  the  connecting  link  between  the  spirit 
and  the  human  organism,  as  a  window  becomes  a 
medium  for  transmitting  light.  The  spirit  is  limited  in 
its  expression  by  the  organism  with  which  it  is  clothed  ; 
but  its  expression  is  seldom,  if  ever,  the  highest  evidence 
of  a  man's  spiritual  life. 

The  soul  is  a  direct  emanation  from  the  infinite,  has 
never  sinned,  can  never  sin  and  must  always  be  at 
oneness  with  the  infinite  spirit.  It  can  never  be 


10  THE    BODY,   THE   SPIRIT   AND   THE   SOUL. 

embodied  and  knows  not  the  limitations  of  time  or 
space.  It  must  remain  in  the  realm  of  the  unknow- 
able and  the  consciousness  of  the  individual  must  rest, 
to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree,  upon  the  assertion  that 
it  exists. 

That  there  is  something  beyond  the  body  is  demon- 
strated by  the  existence  of  the  spirit ;  that  there  is 
something  beyond  the  spirit  is  realized  by  the  unattain- 
able, which  forever  floats  before  its  vision  and  yet 
eludes  its  grasp.  With  soul  and  soul-life  the  individual 
has  little  to  do  beyond  recognizing  that  there  is  a  state 
of  existence  where  the  functions  of  life  are  not  ap- 
parent, and  where  peace  and  happiness  abound.  These 
are  the  attributes  of  the  soul,  to  which  the  individual 
spirit  can  never  attain  while  there  is  a  trace  of  selfish- 
ness, foolish  ambition  or  unconquered  desire  remaining. 
That  which  is  divine  in  man  is  alone  found  in  the  rela- 
tion existing  between  the  finite  and  the  infinite  soul.  It 
can  be  justly  said  that  the  spirit  is  the  expression  which 
the  soul  makes  in  its  contact  with  matter. 

In  giving  a  careful  analysis  of  this  subject  we  must 
not  fail  to  recognize  that  each  department  of  human 
life  has  its  own  desires,  attractions  and  spheres  of 
action.  The  body  will  often  be  at  war  with  the  spirit, 
so  that  the  spirit  will  not  reflect  the  pure  light  of  the 
soul  and,  consequently,  there  will  be  great  discord 
within  the  realms  of  the  organization.  The  desires  of 
the  body  which  are  perfectly  legitimate  in  themselves, 
unless  subjected  to  the  wise  direction  of  the  spirit,  are 
destined  to  lead  to  sorrow  and  regret ;  but  those  same 
desires, when  they  have  received  a  higher  impulse,  may 


THE    BODY,   THE   SPIRIT   AND   THE   SOUL.  I  I 

become  the  very  foundation  of  a  peaceful  and  happy 
life.  To  illustrate,  a  man  may  physically  be  so  addicted 
to  the  use  of  intoxicating  drink,  and  give  himself 
up  to  the  gratification  of  that  appetite,  as  to  waste  his 
entire  force  in  the  excessive  use  thereof,  while  spirit- 
ually he  abhors  and  repudiates  the  condition  that  is 
self-induced.  Here  we  perceive  the  appetite  of  the 
body  at  war  with  the  higher  aspirations,  and  either  the 
man  will  become  a  physical  wreck,  forever  sinking  lower 
in  his  downward  course,  or  else  well-nigh  a  fanatic  upon 
the  subject  of  total  abstinence. 

The  spirit  is  enabled  to  but  imperfectly  manifest 
itself  upon  this  plane  of  existence,  and  no  one  phase  of 
human  life,  or  perhaps  a  hundred,  is  sufficient  to 
unfold  its  hidden  possibilities. 

There  are  two  spiritual  conditions  which  are  apparent 
to  every  student  of  the  spiritual  nature  of  man,  one 
called  the  lower,  the  other  the  higher.  The  former  is 
responsive  to  the  physical  condition  alone  and,  often- 
times, gains  such  strong  sway  over  the  individual  as  to 
completely  obliterate  the  existence  of  the  latter.  The 
higher  spiritual  self  is  directly  associated  with  the  soul 
and  is  continually  endeavoring  to  draw  all  beneath  it  to 
a  still  higher  spiritual  plane.  In  such  natures,  where 
the  higher  spiritual  law  rules,  we  have  the  philosopher, 
the  reformer  and  the  idealist,  who,  seemingly,  are  lost  to 
the  duties  of  time  and  sense  and  are  swung  out  upon 
the  ocean  of  such  an  universal  love  and  law  as  to  make 
them  incomprehensible  to  the  age  and  generation  in 
which  they  live. 

In  developed  natures,  all  the  powers,  both  physical 


12  THE    BODY,   THE   SPIRIT   AND   THE   SOUL. 

and  spiritual,  play  their  respective  parts  under  the  wise 
direction  of  that  superior  intelligence  which  is  mani- 
fested to  every  aspiring  spirit.  The  body  is  the  house 
in  which  the  spirit  lives ;  the  spirit  is  the  expression 
which  the  soul  makes  in  its  relation  to  matter. 

Education  or  learning  simply  enlarges  the  sphere  of 
action  in  which  the  spirit  moves.  Knowledge  is  one 
thing  and  education  is  quite  another.  Education  is  a 
growth  gained  through  the  study  of  books,  wherein  the 
ideas  of  others  have  been  set  down,  and  the  spirit  takes 
them  up  and  gathers  from  them  whatever  stimulus 
and  instruction  they  can  convey.  The  powers  of  the 
mind  are  strengthened,  the  connection  of  the  thought 
of  others  is  made  manifest  and  things  far  distant  are 
brought  near  to  view.  The  study  of  chemistry,  astron- 
omy, geology, or  any  of  the  various  branches  of  natural 
science, is  valuable  only  in  what  it  suggests  to  the  mind 
of  the  student.  The  possession  of  knowledge  without 
a  comprehension  of  its  use  is  of  comparatively  little 
value,  and  the  present  system  of  the  education  of  the 
young  is  most  unwise  and  ill-considered.  Far  too 
much  time  is  worse  than  wasted  in  the  study  of  dead 
languages,  which  convey  no  meaning  to  the  modern 
mind,  and  various  other  branches  of  study  which  never 
come  within  the  sphere  of  the  individual  necessities. 
Still, the  unfolding  of  the  mind  and  the  developing  of 
the  individual  capacities  prepares  new  avenues  through 
which  the  indwelling  spirit  may  reveal  itself. 

There  is  an  education,  however,  far  above  and 
beyond  anything  that  books  contain  or  teachers  impart, 
and  that  is  individual  knowledge  born  from  close  obser- 


THE    BODY,    THK    SPIRIT    AND   THE   SOUL.  13 

vation  and  direct  personal  experience.  Man  is  never 
able  to  understand  fully  any  emotion  or  condition  until 
he  has  passed  through  it  himself  and,  when  that  has 
been  done,  his  own  individual  apprehension  of  it  and  its 
meaning  will  produce  a  deeper  impression  upon  his 
spirit  and  life  than  that  same  experience  ten  times  re- 
peated in  the  lives  of  as  many  others ;  for  at  best,  when 
others  are  passing  through  a  trying  ordeal,  the  effect 
which  it  produces  can  only  be  observed  and  that  most 
imperfectly,  since  natures  differ  so  widely  one  from  the 
other.  Sorrow  that  expresses  itself  in  lamentations, 
tears  and  sighs  is  the  soonest  susceptible  of  consolation, 
seems  to  breathe  itself  out  and,  after  a  time,  to  be  well- 
nigh  forgotten  ;  while  the  grief  which  is  of  so  deep  a  char- 
acter that  it  fails  to  find  any  outward  expression  is,  by 
far,  more  abiding  in  its  nature  and,  perhaps,  far  more 
real.  And  yet,  the  one  who  makes  the  most  noise,  the 
greatest  outward  showing  as  to  the  effect  that  the 
sorrow  has  produced,  is  bound  to  receive  the  most  sym- 
pathy from  the  looker  on,  while  the  other  is,  not  infre- 
quently, condemned  as  being  hard-hearted  simply 
because  no  sign  is  made.  It  is  not  that  you  are 
appealed  to  by  any  outward  thing  that  you  show  a  sym- 
pathetic spirit,  but  rather  through  a  sense  of  the  interior 
life  of  another  which  links  you  with  him  to  that 
extent  that  that  which  is  his  becomes  yours.  And 
what  is  true  of  sorrow  is  equally  true  of  joy.  If  pos- 
session was  thought  less  of  and  the  spirit  of  beauty 
recognized  more  universally,  there  would  be  far  more 
happiness  and  enjoyment  in  the  world  than  there  is 
to-day.  But,  through  innate  selfishness,  man  has  grown 


14  THE    BODY,    THE    SPIRIT    AND   THE   SOUL. 

to  feel  that  he  must  first  possess  and  then  enjoy,  and 
the  struggle  he  has  to  make  in  order  to  accomplish  the 
first  step,  often  incapacitates  him  for  the  taking  of  the 
second. 

Suffering  may  be  sympathized  with  by  the  superficial 
observer,  but  he  who  surfers  or  has  suffered  and  learned 
the  lesson,  can  alone  understand  its  meaning.  Any  of 
the  phases  of  experience  in  life  has  more  to  do  with 
rounding  out  and  developing  the  spirit  than  all  the 
education  found  in  books  that  can  be  crowded  into  the 
human  brain  in  a  lifetime. 


PART   II. 

THE  PHYSICAL  AMD  SPIRITUAL  NATURE. 
THE  SPIRIT  AND  ITS  SPHERE  OF  ACTION, 


THE  PHYSICAL  AND  SPIRITUAL  NATURE. 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congresf,  in  the  year  1893,  by  AUGUSTA  W.  FLITCHKH,  M.  D., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Confrere  at  Waiilrnfrtoc.) 


The  human  body  has  been  justly  called  the  temple  of 
the  living  God  ;  realizing  that,  the  more  perfect  that 
temple  the  more  complete  will  be  the  expression  of 
whatever  power  there  is  within  and  beyond  it.  Health 
is  to  the  body  what  happiness  is  to  the  spirit,  and  we 
might  say  that  health  and  happiness  walk  hand  in  hand 
together. 

The  body  is  dual  in  its  nature  :  two  hands,  two  eyes, 
two  ears,  two  lungs,  each  one  able  to  perform  a  part  of 
the  necessary  work  of  life,  yet  both  necessary  for  its 
complete  fulfillment.  It  is  as  if  there  was  an  individual- 
ized spirit  in  each  of  these  different  powers,  which  has  a 
distinctive  sphere  of  action.  The  hands  can  never  do 
the  work  of  the  eyes,  nor  the  feet  accomplish  the  pur- 
poses of  the  lungs,  but  by  the  united  action  of  all  of 
these  different  members,  the  human  body  becomes  the 
important  factor  which  it  is  upon  the  earthly  plane  of 
existence.  The  nerves  of  the  body  extend  throughout 
every  one  of  its  various  members  and  are  only  so  many 
lines  of  telegraphic  communication  which  convey  the 
will  and  desire  of  that  intelligent  self  which  gives  an 
entity  to  the  individual. 

Food,  clothing  and  suitable  surroundings  as  to  light 
and  heat  are  the  essential  requirements  of  the  body 


1 8  THE   PHYSICAL   AND   SPIRITUAL   NATURE. 

itself,  and  serve  as  a  protection  against  any  foreign 
element  or  power.  Should  an  accident  occur,  whereby 
any  member  of  the  body  is  affected,  such  as  the  break- 
ing of  a  leg  or  arm,  or  the  putting  out  of  an  eye,  the 
telegraphic  connection  has  simply  been  cut  off,  and,  un- 
less it  should  be  re-established,  such  member  would 
live  or  remain  as  extraneous  to  the  body  politic  itself. 
In  any  surgical  operation  whereby  these  members  are 
removed,  the  consciousness  of  the  individual  will  sustain 
no  loss,  nor  will  it  ever  recognize  spiritually  that  such 
an  operation  has  taken  place,  although  physically  he 
may  suffer  much  inconvenience  therefrom. 

In  our  acquaintance  a  man  had  the  misfortune  to  be 
injured  in  a  railway  accident  and,  after  much  suffering 
and  pain,  both  legs  were  amputated  just  above  the  knee, 
and,  being  placed  in  a  box,  were  subsequently  buried  in 
the  ground.  Shortly  after  the  operation  the  patient 
complained  bitterly  of  suffering  from  great  pain  across 
the  top  of  his  feet,  and  was  gradually  losing  strength  in 
consequence  of  it.  In  vain  the  physician  and  attend- 
ants tried  to  persuade  him  that  he  had  no  feet  and  that 
consequently  his  sufferings  were  purely  imaginary,  but 
as  the  days  wore  on  his  complainings  increased  and  his 
life  was  despaired  of.  Finally  a  physician,  who  had 
made  nervous  diseases  a  specialty,  was  called  in.  After 
questioning  the  patient  carefully  and  observing  the 
symptoms,  he  left  the  sick-room,  and  inquired  what  had 
been  done  with  the  limbs  after  amputation,  and  was 
told  that  they  had  been  placed  in  a  box  and  buried  in 
an  adjacent  field.  He  accordingly  visited  the  spot,  had 
the  box  taken  up  and  found  that  the  lid  was  pressing 


THE    PHYSICAL   AND   SPIRITUAL   NATURE.  19 

firmly  across  the  top  of  both  feet.  He  had  the  lid 
removed,  placed  the  members  in  a  proper  position, 
nailed  up  the  box  and  reburied  it.  Then  he  revisited 
the  sick-room,  where  he  found  the  patient  quietly  sleep- 
ing, and  in  a  short  time  he  speedily  recovered,  never 
complaining  afterward  of  suffering  further  pain  in  that 
direction. 

This  illustration  goes  to  show  that  there  is  a 
close  connection  between  every  member  of  the  body 
and  the  centre  of  intelligence,  and  that  when  those 
members  are  severed  the  connection  does  not  always 
cease  to  exist.  And  again,  it  shows  that  for  every 
physical  member  of  the  body  there  is  a  spiritual  counter- 
part and  while  the  one  may  be  lost,  the  other  still 
remains,  although  invisible  to  the  external  eye. 

Physical  disease  is  due  to  the  introduction  of  some 
element  foreign  to  the  body  itself,  and  is  usually  taken 
on  when  the  body  is  exposed  to  some  extraordinary 
condition  with  which  it  is  not  in  accord,  or  to  the  lack 
of  positive  nerve  power,  which  lack  renders  the  bod}' 
too  weak  and  sensitive  to  expel  any  foreign  element 
that  may  be  thus  unconsciously  introduced.  We  may 
be  allowed  to  say,  since  relations  between  the  body  and 
the  spirit  are  so  closely  allied,  that  if  the  spirit  was  kept 
in  positive  activity  and  the  nerves  thereby  supplied 
with  all  the  vitality  that  could  be  appropriated,  physical 
disease  would  be  a  thing  unknown.  It  is  the  lack  of 
this  supply,  the  lack  of  complete  responsiveness  of  the 
body  to  the  spirit,  that  renders  disease  possible  and  its 
cure  so  difficult. 

The  laws  of  heredity,  as  relating  to  physical  bodies, 


20  THE   PHYSICAL   AND   SPIRITUAL   NATURE. 

are  made  to  play  a  too  important  part  in  the  question 
of  disease.  It  is  true  that  each  human  being  inherits 
certain  physical  elements  from  his  parents,  and  that 
disease  is  not  unfrequently  transmitted  from  one  gener- 
ation to  another,  but  the  continuance  of  this  disease  in 
later  life  is  by  no  means  arbitrary,  and  is  possible  of 
elimination  by  a  process  which  will  be  referred  to  later 
on  under  the  head  of  "  SPIRITUAL  HEALING,"  since  it 
is  the  purpose  of  this  article  to  refer  to  physical  condi- 
tions only,  and  the  introduction  of  other  matters  relating 
thereto  might  produce  confusion  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader. 

In  the  process  of  years  the  body  undergoes  a  large 
number  of  changes,  due  to  a  variety  of  causes  too 
numerous  to  mention.  Modern  science  has  demonstra- 
ted that  this  same  body  passes  through  such  changes 
that  at  the  end  of  one  year  not  a  particle  of  the  original 
body  remains.  If  this  be  true,  it  will  be  readily  seen 
that  under  wise  direction  even  the  law  of  heredity  can 
be  controverted.  If  the  body  is  constituted  of  elements 
more  or  less  diseased,  it  will  be  possible  to  place  said 
body  in  relationship  with  healthy  elements,  and  thereby 
replace  one  by  another.  In  fact,  every  year  death  is 
taking  place,  and  yet,  the  death  of  each  element  is 
anticipated  by  the  birth  of  a  new  one.  How  easy  then 
to  fill  the  place  of  the  element  that  is  thrown  off  by  one 
of  renewed  life  and  vitality. 

St.  Paul  said,  "  I  die  daily."  He  might  have  added, 
"  I  am  born  daily,"  with  equal  truth.  It  is  upon  this  law 
of  careful  chemical  adjustment  that  the  physical  health 
and  death  of  the  human  race  depends.  When  that  law 


THE    PHYSICAL   AND    SPIRITUAL   NATURE.  21 

is  fully  recognized  and  practiced,  disease  will  be  a  thing 
unknown,  and  the  death  of  the  body  dependent  upon 
the  desire  of  the  spirit,  instead  of  physical  disease. 

We  cannot  leave  this  subject  without  also  referring 
to  the  matter  of  food  and  physical  surroundings,  to 
which  we  might,  in  fact,  devote  the  entire  space  of  this 
volume  with  profit. 

More  persons  suffer  from  excess  in  eating  and  drink- 
ing than  from  any  other  one  cause.  Drunkenness — or 
better  say  over-drinking — is  an  evil  that  has  wound  itself 
around  the  very  vitals  of  civilization,  breathing  forth 
destruction  and  misery  wherever  its  poisonous  coils  are 
felt.  Homes  are  wrecked,  lives  ruined  and  ambitions 
sacrificed  upon  the  altar  of  this  appetite ;  and  yet  the 
evil  results  from  over-eating,  though  less  plainly  mani- 
fested, are,  by  far,  greater  and  more  universal.  The 
needs  of  the  body  are  one  thing,  its  desires  another ;  it  is 
always  right  in  its  demands  and  never  makes  a  mistake. 
But  when  the  appetite,  developed  to  abnormality,  begins 
to  assert  itself,  destruction  is  bound  to  follow  in  the  foot- 
steps of  its  gratification.  A  simple  diet  which  produces 
neither  stimulation  nor  excitement  should  be  to  the 
body  what  fuel  is  in  the  fire-box  in  a  steam-engine,  and 
is  bound  to  result  in  making  the  body  what  it  has  al- 
ways been  destined  to  be,  namely,  the  simple  instrument 
in  the  hands  of  the  spirit.  The  more  prominent  the 
appetites,  of  whatever  nature  or  character,  the  less 
prominent  the  spirit.  Use  your  appetites  as  the  foun- 
dation of  greater  achievements  and  all  will  work  to- 
gether for  good  ;  abuse  them  by  every  gratification  and 
disease  and  destruction  are  destined  to  follow.  The 


22  THE   PHYSICAL   AND   SPIRITUAL  NATURE. 

idea  of  a  purely  vegetable  diet,  or  living  solely  upon 
fruits,  which  in  the  future  may  be  accepted  as  a  higher 
form  of  life,  at  the  present  time,  with  the  labors  im- 
posed upon  the  ordinary  individual,  would  not  be 
conducive  to  the  best  results.  However,  the  tendency 
of  the  age  is  toward  the  spiritualization  of  material 
things  and  great  changes  have  been  made,  even  in  the 
matter  of  diet,  during  the  past  century.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  not  only  what  you  eat,  but  how  you 
eat  it,  produces  an  effect  physical  as  well  as  spiritual. 

Food  taken  amidst  the  confusion  of  inharmonious 
magnetic  conditions  will  never  produce  a  satisfactory 
result.  The  quantity  of  food  swallowed  hurriedly  in  a 
railway  restaurant,  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  people 
bent  upon  laying  away  as  large  an  amount  as  is  pos- 
sible in  a  given  time  while  the  train  waits,  does  not  pro- 
duce one-half  the  strengthening  results  as  a  much  less 
quantity  would  under  more  favorable  conditions. 
During  the  time  devoted  to  eating,  no  matter  how 
simple  the  fare,  any  disagreeable  or  annoying  topic 
should  be  laid  aside  and  such  pleasant  themes  of  con- 
versation introduced  as  will  leave  the  mind  in  an  inact- 
ive state,  and  render  the  body  receptive  to  all  the  sur- 
rounding magnetic  conditions.  Never  sit  at  the  table 
and  partake  of  food  in  company  with  an  enemy  or  any 
persons  who  may  entertain  unkindly  feeling  toward 
you.  Better  partake  of  no  meal  at  all  and  leave  the 
system  to  recuperate  itself  from  an  hour's  quiet  rest, 
than  be  charged  and  surcharged  by  the  poisonous  ema- 
nations which  discordant  natures  are  bound  to  throw 
off  and  which  are  taken  on  as  the  food  enters  the  system. 


THE    PHYSICAL    AND    SPIRITUAL   NATURE.  23 

External  surroundings  have  much  to  do  with  the 
normal  condition  of  the  physical  body.  The  present 
form  of  civilization  herds  together  thousands  in  a  space 
that  can  poorly  accommodate  as  many  hundreds. 
Crowded  together  are  men  and  women  of  totally  differ- 
ent temperaments  who  are  bound  to  have  a  more  or 
less  deleterious  effect  upon  each  other.  Working, 
eating  and  sleeping  are  so  commingled  with  foreign  in- 
fluences, due  to  orer-crowding,  that  nothing  but  the 
poorest  results  as  to  work  and  life  can  rightfully  be 
expected.  Every  city,  instead  of  spending  large  sums 
of  money  in  the  beauty  and  magnificence  of  its  public 
buildings  and  monuments,  would  serve  the  present  age 
and  posterity  to  greater  purpose  if  the  same  amount 
was  used  in  forming  numerous  public  squares  which 
would  serve  as  a  breathing-place  for  the  people  and  an 
escape  for  the  poisonous  gases  and  influences  that  are 
consequent  upon  life  in  all  the  large  centres  of  civiliza- 
tion. God  would  be  better  served  in  the  one  day  set 
apart  for  the  recognition  of  His  supreme  power  by  a 
studying  of  His  works  as  seen  in  the  green  fields  and 
wooded  slopes  of  the  country  than  listening  to  the 
oftentimes  stupid  expositions  of  narrow-minded  theo- 
logians. Fresh  air,  the  breath  of  God,  and  sunshine,  the 
smile  of  God,  are  far  more  important  factors  in  the 
religion  of  life  than  all  the  arguments  upon  infant  dam- 
nation and  eternal  punishment. 

In  short,  we  can  condense  our  thought  upon  how  to 
take  proper  care  of  the  body  in  these  words : 

Be  cleanly ;  be  active ;  be  natural ;  live  as  much  as 
possible  in  the  open  air;  let  as  much  sunshine  into 


24          THE   PHYSICAL  AND   SPIRITUAL   NATURE. 

your  homes  as  you  can  ;  govern  your  appetites  by  the 
needs  of  your  body,  and  never  forget  that  rest  is  as 
essential  as  activity.  By  rest  we  do  not  mean  idling  or 
simply  killing  time,  which,  in  many  instances,  frustrates 
the  very  purpose  that  is  sought.  Rest  is  often  found 
through  a  complete  change  of  employment  by  calling 
into  activity  other  powers  of  the  mind,  while  those  most 
frequently  in  use  are,  for  the  time  being,  laid  aside. 
Thus  the  mind,  weary  with  books,  rriay  find  much  that  is 
restful  in  music  or,  again,  a  man  immured  in  business 
may  leave  the  Stock  Exchange  behind  him  and,  seeking 
the  mountains  or  the  seashore,  find  a  source  of  strength 
through  a  complete  change ;  but,  if  he  sits  down  and 
folds  his  hands  to  wait  until  the  Summer  is  past  in 
order  to  return  to  take  up  the  work  he  has  left  un- 
finished, he  will  find  himself  at  the  end  of  his  vacation 
worse  than  he  was  at  the  beginning.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  he  cultivates  different  forms  of  amusement, 
drops  his  dignity  for  the  moment  and  goes  at  pleasure 
with  the  purpose  of  getting  everything  out  of  it  that 
he  can,  he  will  find,  on  his  return,  that  he  has  enlarged 
his  world,  strengthened  his  system  and  gathered 
together  an  amount  of  nerve  force  which  will  materially 
affect  the  results  of  the  months  that  are  to  follow. 


THE  SPIRIT  AND  ITS  SPHERE  OF  ACTION. 

(Entered  according  to  Art  of  Congreu,  In  the  ye»r  1893,  by  AUGUSTA  W.  FLCTCUKR,  M.  V., 

in  the  office  of  the  I.ilirariai  of  Congress  at  Washington.) 

Large  and  important  as  the  body  may  appear  in  its 
sphere  of  action,  it  is  as  a  drop  of  water  to  the  ocean 
in  comparison  with  the  vast  realms  that  are  unfolded 
for  the  activity  of  the  spirit.  In  fact,  the  material  uni- 
verse and  the  human  body  are  in  themselves  but  one 
phase  of  spiritual  existence.  It  might  be  said  the 
lowest  phase,  since  spirit,  per  se,  knows  of  no  tempta- 
tions save  when  brought  in  contact  or  relationship  with 
some  lower  element. 

It  is  not  our  purpose,  however,  to  speak  of  the 
activity  of  the  spirit  as  a  spirit  in  spheres  where,  freed 
from  earthly  environments,  it  is  enabled  to  work  out  its 
destiny,  but  rather  to  consider  the  action  of  the  spirit 
in  connection  with  the  human  body,  and  to  indicate 
such  laws  as  may  more  fully  enable  each  individual  to 
accomplish  his  highest  destiny.  That  that  destiny  is 
some  time  to  be  accomplished,  all  will  admit,  and  the 
more  that  is  crowded  into  one  life,  the  more  rapid  is 
the  advancement  along  the  pathway  of  progress. 

Spirit  stands  first,  and  the  human  organism  is  but  the 
result  of  its  action.  From  the  moment  of  conception 
to  the  hour  of  death,  the  spirit  is  allied  with  physical 
conditions  and  is  continually  making  a  supreme  effort 
to  reveal  and  express  itself  through  them.  To  hold 


26          THE    SPIRIT   AND    ITS    SPHERE    OF   ACTION. 

that  the  physical  environments  with  which  a  spirit 
clothes  itself  are  all-sufficient  for  a  complete  realization 
of  itself  would  be  to  do  away  with  the  object  and  pur- 
pose of  life  altogether.  The  very  incompleteness  and 
insufficiency  of  these  aforesaid  environments  furnish  an 
object  to  be  accomplished. 

From  those  realizations,  out  of  which  a  possible  life 
is  generated,  there  is  at  once  established  a  magnet  of 
attraction  for  the  spirit,  and  the  months  of  gestation  are 
necessary  to  more  firmly  assert  and  affix  that  attraction. 
This  is  not  always  accomplished,  and  in  such  cases 
death  ensues  even  before  birth.  Such  deaths  are 
usually  attributed  to  accident  or  disease,  which  is  really 
only  a  part  of  the  true  cause,  since  it  is  to  these  occur- 
rences that  the  breaking  of  the  aforesaid  magnetic  con- 
ditions may  be  due.  If,  however,  the  development 
proceeds  uninterruptedly  and  the  birth  takes  place,  the 
spirit  immediately,  with  the  first  breath  of  life,  assumes 
complete  control  of  the  body  and  thus  the  career  of 
life  is  begun. 

During  the  first  fifteen  years  impressions  are  very 
easily  made,  and  the  spirit  readily  takes  up  conditions 
which,  in  later  life,  when  its  individuality  has  be- 
come more  strongly  asserted,  it  as  readily  repudiates. 
During  these  years  the  child  is  kept  well  and  happy  to 
the  degree  that  it  is  allowed  to  live  a  natural  life,  but 
the  continual  talking  about  disease  places  it  in  relation- 
ship with  that  thought  and  it  becomes  almost  at  once 
susceptible  to  it.  At  the  age  stated,  the  spirit  assumes 
a  higher  control  over  the  organism  and  begins  through 
this  to  attract  magnetic  influences  to  itself.  Heretofore, 


THE    SPIRIT   AND    ITS    SPHERE    OK   ACTION.          2J 

it  has  not  been  able  to  hold  its  own,  and  this  explains 
why  the  health  of  children  is  so  affected  by  being 
brought  in  contact  with  persons  much  older  than  them- 
selves ;  the  magnetic  centre  not  being  established  until 
the  change  from  childhood  to  manhood.  After  that 
time,  influences  of  all  kinds  are  attracted  to  the  indwell- 
ing spirit. 

It  must  be  understood  that  there  are  no  mistakes  in 
the  realms  of  creation,  that  everything  that  lives  lives 
for  a  purpose,  whether  that  object  be  comprehended  or 
not ;  every  desire  of  the  spirit  being  for  a  purpose,  and 
the  object  of  life  is  to  wisely  select  for  fulfilment 
such  intimations  as  will  result  in  the  greatest  good.  It 
has  been  wrongly  assumed  that  to  be  natural  every 
desire  of  the  spirit  must  be  expressed.  Were  it  not  so, 
a  condition  bordering  upon  chaos  would  be  the  result. 
Selfishness  would  be  rampant  and  the  impulses  would 
assume  an  authority  which  would  materially  interfere 
with  the  progress  of  the  individual.  Many  claiming  to 
be  natural  are  nothing  more  or  less  than  impertinent 
and  ill-bred  and  assume  naturalness  as  an  excuse  for 
expressions  which  no  person  of  ordinary  courtesy  would 
indulge  in. 

One  has  not  to  be  unkind  simply  because  he  differs 
from  another,  nor  are  adverse  criticisms,  when  intelli- 
gently expressed,  to  be  looked  upon  as  evidences, 
necessarily,  of  either  ill-temper  or  jealousy,  and  only  a 
small  mind  would  so  consider  them.  There  are,  how- 
ever, almost  as  few  people  who  are  prepared  to  receive 
intelligent  criticism  as  there  are  those  who  are  capable 
of  giving  it,  consequently,  it  becomes  every  wise  man 


28         THE   SPIRIT   AND   ITS   SPHERE   OF   ACTION. 

to  consider  both  actions  and  words  before  they  are 
launched  upon  the  sea  of  activity.  While  they  are 
unexpressed,  they  belong  to  the  individual ;  when  once 
they  are  brought  into  action  they  become  the  property 
of  the  world.  There  are  as  many  desires  given  for 
repression  as  for  expression.  A  grape-vine  left  to 
follow  out  its  own  inclination  will  bear  numberless 
clusters  of  imperfect  fruit.  The  wise  gardener  nips  off 
one-half,  if  not  two-thirds,  of  them  and  when  the  harvest 
time  comes  presents  you  with  less  quantity,  but  a 
perfected  quality,  of  the  same.  Take  this  illustration 
to  mind,  for  upon  its  understanding  much  of  your 
success  and  happiness  depends. 


PART   III. 

THE  AURA. 

nENTAL    5TATE5. 


THE  AURA. 


(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  tbe  year  1893,  by  AUGUST  A  W.  FLLICHLK,  M.D., 
In  the  office  of  tbe  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington.) 


It  will  be  readily  recognized  that  every  individual  is 
surrounded  by  an  unseen  influence  which  partakes, 
more  or  less,  of  the  characteristics  of  his  personality. 
You  never  take  the  hand  of  a  friend,  or  enemy,  for 
that  matter,  without  receiving  a  series  of  sensations  not 
explainable  from  any  given  cause.  You  feel  an  influence 
that  either  attracts  or  repels  you,  and  this  is  due  not  to 
the  words  that  may  be  spoken,  nor  the  manner  of  greet- 
ing, but  from  the  assimilation  of  the  unseen  influences 
that  surround  you  both.  This  imperceptible  something 
which  either  may  attract  or  repel  is  vaguely  called 
magnetism,  and  oftentimes  serves  a  greater  purpose 
than  either  character  or  mental  attainments. 

An  influence  of  this  kind  pervades  all  bodies,  but  is 
particularly  noticeable  and  is  susceptible  of  a  degree  of 
analysis  in  the  human.  In  other  words,  every  human 
being  is  surrounded  by  a  sphere  of  influence  which 
extends  from  the  head  to  the  feet.  To  the  clairvoyant 
it  is  apparent,  differing  in  color  and  intensity  according 
to  the  moral  and  physical  condition  of  the  individual. 
A  person  who  lives  in  the  atmosphere  of  study  and  has 
sacrificed  his  health  to  advancement  in  this  direction, 
will  be  surrounded  by  an  aura  that  appears  to  be  yellow 
in  color;  another  who  is  of  a  sympathetic  nature  will 


32  THE    AURA. 

be  surrounded  by  an  aura  blue  in  color,  while  a  third 
who  lives  a  purely  physical  life  is  seen  to  be  red  in 
color.  Wherever  there  be  two  or  three  distinctive 
traits  in  the  individual  there  will  be  as  many  colors 
represented.  If  the  individual  be  affected  by  disease 
the  aura  is  intercepted  by  dark  shadows. 

This  aura  is  finer  than  ether  itself ;  is  chemically 
composed  of  life-giving  elements  and  is  used  by  all 
magnetic  and  mental  healers  through  a  direct  exercise 
of  the  will.  It  is,  however,  only  through  the  perfect 
blending  of  one  aura  with  another  that  any  good  result 
is  attained,  and  what  is  called  attraction  and  repulsion, 
as  instanced  through  individuals  meeting  each  other,  is 
dependent  upon  the  affinity  or  non-affinity  of  this 
element. 

Persons  at  a  distance  may  intelligently  admire  and 
appreciate  each  other,  and,  while  removed  by  space,  may 
remain  steadfast  friends  for  many  years,  but  when  they 
come  together,  discord  may  be  the  result,  due  to  the 
fact  that  while  they  are  spiritually  allied  to  each  other 
they  are  magnetically  opposed. 

Many  marriages  are  nothing  more  or  less  than  mag- 
netic attractions,  which,  when  the  attraction  has  ceased, 
culminate  in  disgust  and  regret.  In  fact,  great  care 
should  be  taken  in  not  associating  too  continually  with 
each  other,  no  matter  how  great  the  liking  or  affection, 
for  the  two  spheres  are  bound,  under  the  varying 
emotions  and  conditions  of  life,  to  irritate  each  other, 
and  what  otherwise  might  be  a  joy  and  a  blessing  be- 
comes an  annoyance. 

Distinctively  magnetic  healers  are  those  who  are  sur- 


HIE    AUKA.  33 

rounded  by  a  strong  aura  which  they  are  able  to  impart 
through  general  association,  without  any  particular 
mental  effort  whatever.  They  employ  the  laying  on  of 
hands  or  manipulation  to  accentuate  the  imparting  of 
this  influence  and,  through  this  process,  are  more 
readily  able  to  obtain  a  result ;  but  after  a  treatment  of 
this  kind  the  patient  and  the  operator  should  separate 
at  once,  for  if  the  operator  remains  any  length  of  time 
he  is  bound  to  attract  all  of  his  influence  back  again, 
leaving  the  patient  weary  and  depleted.  But  though 
the  healer  has  given  to  the  sufferer  a  part  of  himself 
which  the  system  very  readily  appropriates,  it  is  well  to 
say  here  that  no  person  not  in  perfect  health,  and  over 
fifty  years  of  age,  has  any  right  to  act  in  the  capacity  of 
a  magnetic  healer  and,  again,  that  no  such  person  should 
be  employed  for  whom  the  least  repugnance  or  unpleas- 
antness is  felt. 

In  cases  where  all  influences  are  equal  and  there  is  a 
complete  sympathy  between  the  operator  and  the 
patient,  the  best  results  can  be  assured.  The  remedy 
depends  wholly  upon  the  law  of  adaptability  and  unless 
the  law  of  harmony  can  be  established,  more  harm  than 
good  will  eventuate  from  the  effort.  The  lack  of 
understanding  in  this  regard  will  account  for  the  num- 
berless failures  that  have  brought  healing,  in  this  direc- 
tion, into  disrepute.  No  person  is  capable  of  obtaining 
good  results  for  every  patient,  and  the  sooner  the  healer 
recognizes  this  most  important  fact  and  begins  to 
classify  the  line  of  patients  he  is  capable  of  treating 
with  success,  the  better.  Young  children  are  especially 
susceptible  to  the  magnetic  aura  surrounding  those  with 


34  THE   AURA. 

whom  they  are  brought  in  contact  and  are  not  infre- 
quently punished  for  giving  expression  to  a  repulsion 
which  their  elders  are  not  able  to  understand  or  ap- 
preciate. And  what  is  looked  upon  as  perverseness  is, 
in  many  cases,  but  the  action  of  the  law  of  repulsion 
which,  asserting  itself,  should  be  recognized  rather  than 
condemned.  Animals,  also,  have  a  strong  magnetism, 
frequently  more  invigorating  than  that  of  human 
beings,  since  it  is  less  vitiated  by  lawless  and  unseemly 
living.  Dogs  and  horses  are  most  noticeable  for  their 
strong  magnetic  influence,  while  cats  and  birds  possess 
an  influence  often  deleterious  in  its  effects. 


35 


5TATE5. 


(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congrws,  in  the  year  1693,  by  AUODCTA  W.  FLUICHHK,  M.  D., 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington.) 


What  are  known  as  mental  states  are  really  con- 
ditions in  which  the  spirit  finds  itself.  Selfishness  is  a 
purely  physical  condition  reflecting  itself  upon  the 
spirit  and,  oftentimes,  to  such  a  degree  as  to  almost 
bury  it.  A  selfish  person  thinks  only  of  his  individual 
gratification  and  is  disturbed  only  so  far  as  such  gratifi- 
cation is  interfered  with  either  by  persons  or  circum- 
stances. 

It  is  not  infrequently  said  of  a  man  "  what  an  agree- 
able friend  he  would  be  if  he  was  not  so  inordinately 
selfish."  A  person  of  this  character  is  immured  in  such 
intense  physical  environments,  usually  the  result  of 
heredity,  as  to  interfere  with  the  action  of  the  spirit 
altogether.  It  is  a  mistake,  however,  to  gratify  any 
such  propensity  and,  no  matter  what  the  cost  of  friend- 
ship or  feeling,  it  should  be  firmly  and  strenuously 
opposed.  Selfish  people  are  given  to  expressions  of 
great  violence  and  temper,  which  is  another  evidence 
of  an  undeveloped  spiritual  state  and  is  the  cause  of 
many  of  the  phases  of  nervous  disease.  It  is  useless  to 
argue  with  an  angry  person  ;  in  fact,  it  is  much  wiser  to 
leave  them  at  the  point  where  argument  becomes  a 
necessity.  Quiet  and  reflection  will  do  more  for  such 
an  one  than  all  the  arguments  in  the  world.  Pacific 


36  MENTAL   STATES. 

measures,  under  all  circumstances,  when  dealing  with 
minds  equipoised,  or  even  partially  so,  effect  the  best 
results.  In  this  way  a  double  power  is  gained,  for 
much  mental  strength  is  retained  and  any  loss  of  nerv- 
ous or  vital  force  prevented. 

Love  is  a  distinctively  spiritual  element  and  finds 
its  expression  in  kindness,  charity  and  sympathetic 
feeling.  But  there  is  no  word  so  commonly  used 
and  so  little  understood  as  is  this  one.  Self-love  is 
only  another  name  and  form  of  selfishness ;  but  love, 
pure  and  simple,  combines,  within  itself,  principles  of 
justice  and  equity  coupled  with  a  desire  to  please  and 
encourage.  One  is  the  antithesis  of  the  other,  and  the 
more  in  harmony  the  spirit  is  with  itself  the  more 
strengthening  are  the  emanations  and  impressions  re- 
ceived therefrom.  The  law  of  love  and  the  law  of 
happiness  are  other  words  for  the  same  thing.  Under 
the  sway  of  this  condition,  no  matter  what  the  physical 
environments  may  be,  they  are  made  secondary  to  the 
higher  purposes. 

Thus  you  will  perceive  some  persons  surrounded  by 
poverty,  lying  for  years  upon  a  bed  of  illness,  with 
the  outer  world,  in  fact,  shut  out ;  yet  there  will  be 
an  interior  happiness  perceptible  that  will  light  up 
the  dullest  places  and  seemingly  raise  the  sufferer 
far  above  all  physical  pain.  This  is  especially  exem- 
plified in  the  case  of  the  blind,  who  are  compelled 
to  live  a  purely  interior  life  and  who,  after  a  time,  so 
enter  into  the  realms  of  the  ideal  that  they  rarely  feel 
much  loss  at  what  the  world  calls  a  great  misfortune. 
Give  the  spirit  free  scope  to  act  and  the  best  of 


MENTAL   STATES.  37 

results  are  destined  to  follow  ;  but  this  is  seldom  done, 
and  whenever  spirit-needs  are  sacrificed  to  the  desires 
of  the  body  illness  and  discord  are  bound  to  follow. 

We  admit  the  existence  of  disease,  which  we  term 
the  introduction  of  elements  foreign  to  the  sphere  of 
the  individual,  and  suggest,  as  a  remedy,  the  following  : 

In  the  case  of  purely  nervous  diseases  there  is 
nothing  that  will  serve  to  readjust  the  nervous  system 
so  quickly  as  to  bring  the  patient  into  relationship  with 
such  harmonious  individuals  as  will,  by  reflection,  pro- 
duce the  same  effect  in  himself.  If  disease,  in  all  its 
departments,  be  more  or  less  contagious,  health  is 
equally  so.  By  associating  with  a  diseased  person 
continually  you  will,  after  a  time,  become  similarly 
affected.  Being  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  healthy  and 
harmonious  nature  is  bound  to  produce  a  like  result 
also,  so  that  despondent  natures,  thus  affected  by 
nervous  irritability  and  haunted  by  dark  forebodings, 
can  be  remedied  far  more  by  sunshine  and  happiness 
than  by  narcotics  and  drugs.  The  spirit  really  knows 
what  it  wants,  and  if  it  is  in  a  state  of  apparent 
suffering  it  is  due  to  its  not  being  able  to  establish 
the  magnetic  connections  whereby  those  influences  can 
be  attracted. 

In  purely  physical  disease  the  mind,  recognizing  the 
physical  deformity,  serves  to  intensify  it  by  continually 
thinking  about  it,  since  the  thought  conveys  strength 
to  the  pain.  If  you  are  suffering  and  every  one  re- 
marks how  pale  you  look  and,  with  a  pitying  expression 
of  countenance,  commiserates  in  mistaken  sympathy, 
you  allow  this  condition  to  interfere  with  all  your  work 


38  MENTAL   STATES. 

and  duties  and  it  increases  in  intensity  as  time  goes 
on  ;  but  if  you  are  thrown  into  pleasant  company,  your 
attention  or  interest  enlisted,  the  pain  is  forgotten 
altogether.  Or,  again,  should  you  have  the  toothache, 
the  pain  being  severe,  you  go  to  your  dentist  and  ring 
the  bell,  determined  to  have  the  offending  member 
removed.  Suddenly,  you  find  it  has  ceased  to  ache 
because  of  the  greater  pain  you  anticipated  in  having 
it  extracted.  Now,  if  the  tooth  is  absolutely  affected, 
it  were  worse  than  folly  to  endeavor  to  combat  that 
condition ;  but,  up  to  the  point  where  it  is  disturbed, 
although  remaining  in  a  healthy  state,  it  is  possible,  by 
an  effort  of  the  will,  to  eliminate  the  pain.  And  this  is 
true  of  every  other  form  of  physical  suffering. 

The  mind,  so  called,  has  the  power  not  only  to  create 
pain,  but  to  increase  and  intensify  it.  Four-fifths  of  the 
diseases  with  which  mankind  is  afflicted  are  purely 
imaginary.  That  is  to  say,  they  exist  mentally  and 
are  produced  by  mental  reflection. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  shall  take  cold  "  renders  the  person 
susceptible  to  that  condition.  He  has  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  that  result  and  made  himself  amenable  to  it. 
Thinking  of  evils  is  an  invitation  for  them  to  visit  you, 
and  they  rarely  come  singly. 

It  is  our  effort  to  impress  upon  your  mind  that  when 
in  health  your  spirit  is,  firstly,  in  harmony  with  itself, 
and  secondly,  in  harmony  with  the  physical  body  in 
which  it  is  placed.  In  disease,  it  is  out  of  harmony 
with  itself  and  out  of  harmonious  relationship  with  the 
body ;  ergo,  the  successful  physician  is  one  who  estab- 
lishes the  harmonious  condition  of  the  spirit  first  and 


MENTAL   STATES. 


39 


then  deals  with  the  effect  that  its  inharmonious  expres- 
sions have  made.  We  have  not  here  alluded  to  what 
is  an  important  factor  in  the  health  and  happiness  of 
the  individual,  namely,  the  influence  that  one  spirit 
may  have  over  another  and,  when  we  say  the  spirit,  we 
are  speaking  of  the  embodied  rather  than  the  disem- 
bodied. This  influence  may  be  of  the  most  dangerous 
character ;  can  never  be  guarded  against  too  carefully 
and  its  result  can  rarely  ever  be  foretold. 

The  imperfect  understanding  of  hypnotism,  mesmer- 
ism and  psychology  renders  individuals  in  their  present 
state  of  development  victims  to  influences  which  they 
cannot  see  externally  and  can  only  realize  in  effect. 
Waves  of  hate  and  discord  may  be  sent  out  from  a 
point  and  they  will  affect  all  of  those  who  are  in  a  state 
to  receive  such  an  influence.  In  fact,  it  is  very  difficult 
for  the  undeveloped  person  to  separate  his  own  state 
from  the  reflected  states  that  are  cast  upon  him,  and 
thus  an  incentive,  and  a  very  great  one,  is  found  for  the 
study  of  spiritual  science. 

Murders  have  been  perpetrated  by  individuals  who 
are  absolutely  irresponsible,  just  by  the  concentration 
of  given  minds  upon  a  certain  point.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary that  they  should  concentrate  upon  an  individual, 
but  upon  a  thought,  and  any  individual  who  is  in  the 
line  of  that  thought-wave  is  bound  to  take  it  up  and 
act  upon  it. 

The  South  hated  Abraham  Lincoln  to  a  man  and 
felt  that  if  he  should  die  their  cause  would  be  won. 
Wilkes  Booth  was  a  strangely  emotional  person  with 
southern  sympathies.  The  South  dwelt  upon  this 


40  MENTAL   STATES. 

thought  until  it  rolled  like  a  mighty  wave  over  the  land. 
Booth  was  just  in  that  state  where  he  caught  the  in- 
fluence of  it  and  carried  out  its  purpose.  He  was 
hypnotically  responsive  to  that  thought-wave. 

Hypnotism  in  the  hands  of  the  good  and  the  wise  is 
a  power  for  great  good,  in  the  hands  of  the  ignorant 
and  vicious  a  means  of  great  harm. 

It  is  a  law  in  nature  that,  whether  spiritual  or  mate- 
rial, like  attracts  like.  If  you  desire  the  worst,  place 
yourself  in  a  low  condition  and  you  will  attract  it ;  if 
you  desire  the  best,  place  yourself  in  a  high  condition 
and  by  determined  effort  you  will  attract  that  also. 
But  it  must  be  remembered  that  so-called  evil  is  more 
readily  attracted  than  so-called  good,  inasmuch  as  the 
human  being  is  upon  the  earthly  plane  of  existence 
where  undeveloped  conditions  are  more  rampant  than 
their  opposite. 


PART    IV. 

MENTAL  OR  SPIRITUAL 
MENTAL  HEALERS. 


43 


OR  SPIRITUAL 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congrett,  in  the  year  1893,  by  AUGUSTA  W.  FLETCHER,  M.  D., 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Wubingtoa.) 

There  arises  a  great  difference  in  the  discussion  of 
mental  science  as  to  the  relative  meaning  of  terms,  and. 
without  doubt,  a  vast  amount  of  the  disagreements 
existing  among  many  advanced  thinkers  is  the  result 
more  of  the  use  of  terms  than  in  the  meaning  itself. 
The  term  mental  science  does  not  express  what  it 
should,  but  we  are  compelled  to  employ  the  word 
"  mental  "  in  preference  to  the  word  "  spiritual,"  since 
the  former  conveys  a  more  distinctive  meaning  than 
the  latter.  Justly  speaking,  it  should  be  "spiritual 
science  "  instead  of  "  mental  science,"  for  reasons 
which  the  following  will  explain  : 

Mental  science  has  demonstrated  the  existence  of  a 
world  in  which  thoughts  become  realities  and  dominate 
all  external  evidences  of  human  life.  Heretofore,  the 
investigations  of  modern  science  have  been  confined  to 
what  is  called  the  discovery  of  nature's  laws,  but  nature 
has  been  limited  to  only  such  conditions  as  were  sus- 
ceptible to  measurement  and  visibility,  and  it  has  been 
the  position  taken  by  the  most  prominent  scientific  men 
of  the  present  day,  that  that  which  cannot  be  demon- 
strated to  the  external  senses  does  not  exist.  To  be 
sure,  the  apparent  presence  of  mind  is  recognized,  but 
it  is  accepted  as  a  result  of  physical  causes  rather  than 


44  MENTAL   OR   SPIRITUAL    SCIENCE. 

being  the  direct  agent  itself  and  ceases  to  exist  when 
the  elements  that  constitute  the  human  organization 
cease  to  attract  and  act  upon  each  other. 

Mental  science,  however,  reverses  this  order  of  things 
and  insists  that  external  results  are  governed  by 
internal  causes  and  that  mind  stands  first,  while  all 
external  forms  are  the  result  of  its  action.  If  there  be 
any 'apparent  disturbance  in  the  human  organism  the 
cause  must  be  looked  for  and  will,  no  doubt,  be  found 
in  the  mental  condition  of  the  sufferer.  In  effecting  a 
change,  then,  the  mind  must  first  be  brought  into  har- 
monious relationship  with  itself  and  then  with  each 
representative  member  of  the  body. 

The  physician  who  carries  with  him  a  fund  of  good 
nature  and  kindly  influence  and  has  the  power  of 
imparting  both,  will  accomplish  more  good  in  the  sick- 
room than  the  wisest  professor  of  medical  science  that 
you  could  introduce  there.  This  idea,  however,  does 
not  discountenance  the  use  of  medicine  in  some  cases 
where  the  mental  state  has  become  so  deranged  as 
to  produce  an  absolutely  physical  disturbance  ;  but  it 
does  relegate  medicine,  and  the  practice  of  it,  to  a  sec- 
ondary place. 

And  what  is  true  of  the  action  of  the  mind  over  the 
body  is  equally  true  of  the  action  of  the  mind  over  all 
bodies.  That  the  connection  which  the  human  mind 
sustains  to  the  body,  in  which  it  is  encased  and  con- 
nected to,  is  much  higher  than  that  which  it  is  able  to 
exert  over  foreign  bodies  is  admitted,  but  that  is  due, 
in  part,  to  the  greater  harmony  existing  between  the 
body  and  the  mind  and  its  long  association.  There  is 


MENTAL   OR   SPIRITUAL   SCIENCE.  45 

a  law  of  harmony  existing  between  all  bodies  and  all 
minds,  and  the  effort  is  to  establish  harmonious  rela- 
tionship with  this  law.  This  being  done  any  purpose 
can  be  accomplished. 

A  musical  instrument  of  inferior  make  will  do  better 
service  to  the  hand  accustomed  to  manipulate  it  than  a 
finer  instrument  used  for  the  first  time.  The  carpenter, 
the  tailor  and  the  artist  accomplish  better  results  with 
the  things  directly  associated  with  them  in  their  work 
than  they  can  with  tools  with  which  they  are  not 
acquainted.  The  clothes  you  wear  become  a  part  of 
yourself,  since  there  is  a  personal  magnetism  which 
permeates  all  things  directly  brought  in  contact  with 
you,  and  becomes  as  much  a  part  of  yourself,  and  sus- 
ceptible to  your  own  mental  emanations,  as  is  the  body 
in  which  you  live. 

It  is  the  object  of  mental  science  to  reveal  the  other 
side  of  nature,  to  point  out  the  soul  of  nature,  which  is 
made  visible  now  only  through  external  demonstration. 

The  practice  of  mental  science  is  not  confined  to  any 
one  sphere  of  action,  since  every  department  of  life  is 
governed  and  controlled  from  one  centre  of  action,  and 
by  one  and  the  same  power.  It  depends  upon  the 
direction  given  to  the  force  as  to  what  the  result  will 
be.  The  sphere  of  mental  science  has  been  popularly 
considered  to  relate  to  the  physical  and  mental  con- 
dition of  the  individual;  and  the  exercise  of  mental 
power  is  accepted  as  a  remedial  agency.  It  is,  in  fact, 
a  superior  condition  of  the  mind  that  is  enabled  to 
dominate  an  inferior  condition  of  the  body  and  to 
subjugate  any  lower  states,  into  which  the  physical 


46  MENTAL   OR   SPIRITUAL   SCIENCE. 

organism  may  drift,  to  the  will  of  the  superior  mind. 
For  it  must  be  remembered  that  there  are  both  su- 
perior and  inferior  mental  states.  The  superior  state  is 
the  one  in  which  selfish  enjoyments  are  merged  into 
the  law  of  universal  good,  while  the  inferior  states 
relate  to  the  transitory  indulgencies.  But  the  same 
force  that,  by  a  proper  exercise  of  its  possibilities,  can 
eliminate  and  conquer  any  inharmonious  physical  con- 
dition can  also  be  directed  toward  any  other  material 
object,  such  as  the  accomplishment  of  specific  purposes, 
the  direction  of  purely  worldly  enterprises  and  the  at- 
tainment of  any  purpose  which  may  result  in  ultimate 
good.  That  is  to  say,  in  the  laws  of  mental  science,  a 
man  may  become  a  power  among  men,  may  influence 
and  direct  them  either  for  good  or  evil  as  his  own 
individual  development  and  desire  may  indicate.  He 
may  take  these  same  laws  into  his  business  and  become 
a  power  therein  for  the  carrying  out,  successfully,  of 
great  business  enterprises ;  or,  again,  he  may  become  a 
shining  light  to  those  who  are  in  the  darkness,  by  re- 
vealing how  each  may  become  a  law  unto  himself. 
And  how  is  that  done  ?  First,  the  individual  must 
recognize  that  all  men  are  equal  only  in  possibilities, 
not  in  present  form  of  development ;  that  the  lowest 
is  equal  to  the  highest  only  when  he  has  developed  that 
which  is  highest  within  himself.  Inequality  must  ever 
exist  wherever  there  is  a  difference  in  the  manifestation 
of  human  attributes.  Then  the  mind  is  recognized  as 
the  master  and  the  body  as  the  servant.  The  true 
object  of  life  is  to  bring  both  into  such  perfect  and 
harmonious  relationship  as  to  serve  the  highest  good. 


MENTAL   OR   SPIRITUAL   SCIENCE.  47 

The  art  of  thinking  is  one  but  little  understood,  and 
upon  this  art  all  success  in  the  realm  of  mental  science 
depends.  Few  individuals  are  able  to  finish  one 
thought  before  it  is  intercepted  by  the  action  of  another. 
Thus  they  lack  directness  of  purpose  and  are  con- 
tinually wasting  their  power  over  half-fulfilled  plans. 
The  man  to  work,  successfully,  must  be  able  to  give 
the  entire  force  of  his  nature  to  any  single  purpose 
that  he  may  have  in  mind,  and  the  ultimate  result  will 
depend  upon  his  ability  to  do  so.  Do  one  thing  at  a 
time  and  to  that  give  all  your  force.  Strength  of  will 
is  simply  the  devoting  of  all  the  energies  of  the  mind 
to  the  given  purposes. 

The  men  regarded  as  strongly  individualized  are 
each  governed,  either  consciously  or  unconsciously,  by 
this  rule.  Any  work  that  is  worth  doing  at  all  is 
worth  putting  one's  entire  self  into.  Life  should  be  so 
divided  as  not  to  permit  one  interest  to  invade  itself 
upon  another.  In  the  hours  of  business,  foreign 
interests  should  not  be  allowed  to  intrude  themselves ; 
and  the  hours  of  pleasure  should  not  be  crowded  by 
the  demands  of  business.  A  careful  observance  of  this 
law  will  give  to  business  undertakings  a  stronger  force, 
to  the  hours  of  pleasure  an  added  sweetness,  and  to  the 
life  a  satisfactory  completeness  unknown  to  those 
whose  mental  states  are  continually  disturbed  by  every 
passing  thought. 

The  complete  concentration  of  the  mind  upon  any 
given  purpose  is  the  secret  of  success.  It  must  not  be 
understood  that  this  condition  can  be  attained  at  once, 
or  by  a  single  effort,  or  that  simply  wishing  for  a  thing 


48  MENTAL   OR   SPIRITUAL   SCIENCE. 

means  concentrating  upon  it.  Mental  concentration  is 
only  attained  in  its  complete  sense  after  long  and 
severe  trial.  Every  person  can  approximate  unto  the 
law  of  mental  science  and,  by  the  study  thereof,  attain 
a  degree  of  mental  enfoldment.  But  there  are  com- 
paratively few,  in  this  stage  of  the  development  of  the 
human  race,  who  are  able  to  practice  it  with  any  great 
degree  of  success.  It  is  well  to  think  before  you  act, 
rather  than  to  act  and  think  afterward  ;  to  have  in  mind 
what  you  wish  to  accomplish  and,  forgetting  everything 
else,  exert  yourself  to  that  end. 

Each  person  requires  a  certain  part  of  every  day  to 
himself  when  he  shall  disconnect  himself  from  the 
members  of  his  own  household  even,  and,  if  it  be  for 
not  more  than  five  minutes,  pass  that  time  in  self- 
examination  and  quiet.  It  is  not  the  number  of  things 
that  are  attempted,  it  is  those  things  that  are  well  done, 
that  constitute  the  importance  and  value  of  life. 


49 


MENTAL  HEALERS. 

(Entered  acxxirding  to  Act  of  Congress,  iu  the  year  1893,  Vy  AUGUSTA  W.  FLETCHIB,  M.  D., 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington.) 

Mental  healers  differ  largely  from  magnetic  healers 
in  much  the  same  way  that  homoeopathy  differs  from 
allopathy.  It  is  not  so  much  the  quantity  of  the 
influence  that  is  imparted,  but  the  intensity  of  it,  that 
produces  a  satisfactory  result. 

The  mental  healer  has  an  aura  which,  by  effort  of  the 
will,  he  sends  to  a  given  point  and  is  enabled  to  expel 
a  certain  amount  of  influence  from  his  own  sphere, 
which,  in  turn,  finds  a  resting-place  in  the  surroundings 
of  the  patient.  Distance  offers  little  or  no  impediment. 

The  hypnotist  is  one  who  uses  this  power  for 
amusement,  but  precisely  in  the  same  way.  For 
example,  an  operator  wishes  to  hypnotize  a  number  of 
persons  ;  he  bids  them  concentrate  their  minds  upon  a 
given  point  and  then  grasps  them  firmly  so  as  to  pro- 
duce some  slight  physical  pain  which  shall  attract 
their  attention.  As  the  eyes  are  turned  from  that 
point  to  him  he  catches  their  mind,  so  to  speak,  and 
they  are  instantly  drawn  into  the  magnetic  sphere  of 
his  presence  and  while  there  they  experience  whatever 
emotions  he  may  desire,  never  realizing,  even  afterward, 
that  they  have  been  acting  otherwise  than  they  desired 
themselves,  and  not  infrequently  in  direct  opposition  to 
their  own  natural  inclinations.  Many  times  persons 


50  MENTAL   HEALERS. 

greatly  averse  to  intemperance  and  having  a  horror  for 
anything  low  and  offensive,  have  been  known  to  deliver 
a  powerful  lecture  upon  the  virtues  of  intemperance  and 
to  indulge  in  language  that  was  coarse  and  revolting. 

A  surgical  operation  has  recently  come  under  our 
notice  where  the  patient  was  put  in  a  magnetic  sleep  by 
the  will  of  the  operator  in  order  that  a  limb  might  be 
amputated  without  pain,  and  this  was  successfully  done 
without  any  show  of  suffering  whatever.  Just  before 
the  patient  was  thoroughly  awakened  the  operator,  in 
handling  the  instrument  carelessly,  cut  himself,  and  the 
subject,  who  had  remained  perfectly  quiet  during  his 
own  operation,  cried  with  pain  when  the  operator  met 
with  the  accident  and  ever  after,  when  the  operation  was 
referred  to,  declared  that  he  felt  nothing  save  the  cut 
on  his  hand  which,  in  reality,  he  had  never  experienced. 

The  mental  healer  has  a  wider  range  of  activity 
than  has  the  hypnotist ;  but  his  methods  are  bound  to 
be  similar.  We  do  not  wish  to  cast  any  reflection 
either  upon  hypnotic  or  mental  scientists,  for  we  are 
aware  that  there  is  little  love  lost  between  them.  We 
are  simply  recording  facts  as  they  exist. 

The  mental  scientist,  to  cure  his  patient,  must  lift  him 
by  sheer  force  of  will  out  of  the  sphere  of  disease  into 
which  conditions  have  thrown  him,  into  his  own  more 
harmonious  and  helpful  one.  There  may  be  different 
means  suggested  by  the  occasion  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  end,  but  this  is  the  result  that  must  be 
obtained  in  the  counteracting  of  untoward  conditions. 

The  blood  and  its  circulation  is  one  of  the  conditions 
upon  which  physical  health  absolutely  depends  and  its 


MENTAL   HEALERS.  51 

action  should  be  carefully  watched  so  as  to  get  the 
circulation  in  as  normal  a  condition  as  possible.  The 
brain,  the  heart  and  the  base  of  the  spine  are  the  three 
great  centres  from  which  the  system  derives  activity 
and  strength. 

The  brain  is  more  closely  allied  with  the  spirit  than 
are  the  other  two  centres  and,  should  it  be  surcharged 
with  blood,  will  intensify  the  nerve  supply  throughout 
the  system,  producing  nervous  excitation  and  hysteria. 
Consequently,  the  attention  of  the  healer  should  be 
directed  upon  the  lower  extremities,  thereby  attracting 
the  blood  from  the  brain  and  thus  equalizing  its 
distribution  throughout  the  system.  The  breathing 
comes  next  in  importance  and,  if  careful  attention  is  also 
paid  to  this,  it  will  serve  to  strengthen  the  patient  and 
counteract  opposing  effects. 

Many  persons  breathe  superficially;  that  is  to  say, 
the  upper  lobe  of  the  lungs  alone  are  used  while  the 
lower  lobes  are  left  in  a  state  of  comparative  inactivity. 
Frequency  of  breathing  vitiates  and  depletes  the 
system,  but,  by  breathing  deeply,  the  entire  lungs  are 
filled  and  cannot  fail  to  become  strengthened  and 
invigorated.  This  should  be  carefully  observed  in 
children,  but  the  advice  is  quite  as  pertinent  to  adults. 
There  are  chemical  changes  resulting  from  deep 
breathing  that  act  upon  the  entire  system  which  the 
lungs,  in  a  superficial  breathing,  never  undergo  and 
even  those  who  are  in  perfect  health  should  devote,  at 
least,  a  few  moments  during  the  day  to  its  practice. 
Throw  the  shoulders  backward,  place  the  feet  together 
and  stand  with  your  back  against  the  side  of  the 


52  MENTAL   HEALERS. 

room.  Count  while  the  inhalation  is  made,  repeating 
the  same  numerals  while  the  breath  is  held  and,  again, 
recount  while  the  breath  is  exhaled.  At  first  a  sensa- 
tion of  giddiness  about  the  head  and  heart  will  be  felt, 
but  if  this  be  persisted  in,  the  beneficial  result  will  be 
almost  incalculable.  In  incipient  consumption  it  is  sure 
to  be  attended  with  success,  since  it  will  force  the 
depleted  lung  cells  to  act  in  spite  of  themselves. 
Exercise — and  by  that  word  we  mean  the  general 
activity  of  the  body — is  conducive  to  the  best  results  if 
not  overdone. 

There  is  a  magnetism  in  the  atmosphere  as  palpable 
as  is  the  aura  in  individuals,  and  this  cannot  fail  to 
benefit  most  persons  when  not  taken  in  too  great  excess. 
The  reason  why  most  persons  experience  so  much 
benefit  from  an  ocean  voyage,  is  that  the  magnetic  lines 
of  their  surroundings  are  cut  off  there.  It  is  on  the 
water  or  on  the  mountain  tops  that  the  purest  mag- 
netism is  found.  The  sermons  that  Jesus  preached 
were  delivered  from  the  mountain  top,  where  the  atmos- 
phere was  not  impregnated  by  the  cross  currents  ema- 
nating from  selfish  minds.  He  could  never  have 
preached  in  the  market-place  as  he  did  on  the  moun- 
tains. Whenever  he  wished  to  gain  inspiration  he 
went  into  the  wilderness  and  found  it  through  fasting 
and  solitude.  He  thereby  reduced  the  physical  as- 
cendency of  the  body,  which  food  is  ever  bound  to 
induce  and,  through  disassociation  from  all  earthly 
minds,  rendered  his  spirit  receptive  to  the  higher 
thoughts  that  alone  are  found  in  the  realms  of  the 
spirit. 


MENTAL   HEALERS.  53 

Your  patient,  then,  will  recover  physical  and  spiritual 
equilibrium  far  more  quickly  through  living  in  the 
country,  being  thereby  removed  from  the  distractions 
of  intense  civilization.  He  will  not  feel  as  well  at  first, 
for  this  difference  in  magnetism  is,  for  the  time,  too 
stimulating,  and  induces  an  abnormal  state.  But  after 
awhile  he  will  find  his  own  magnetic  level  and  begin-  to 
exist  in  a  more  natural  way. 

We  do  not  wish  it  to  be  understood,  however,  by 
what  has  been  said,  that  the  patient  should  be  absented 
from  all  society  or  deprived  of  pleasant  and  sympathetic 
association ;  but  that  the  varying  influences  of  indi- 
viduals who  are  bent  upon  getting  rather  than  giving  is 
to  be  discountenanced,  while  in  their  place  two  or  three 
others,  who  are  magnetically  as  much  in  sympathy  as 
their  particular  organizations  will  permit,  should  be 
placed  in  close  relationship  with  him. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  the  healer  cannot 
do  everything  although,  sometimes,  he  may  think  so. 
He,  at  most,  can  but  assist  his  patient  in  getting  into 
closer  relationship  with  the  laws  of  health  and,  when 
these  are  established,  he  must  do  the  rest  of  the  work 
himself.  Thus  it  \\ill  be  to  a  great  degree  self-cure, 
which,  in  fact,  is  the  only  permanent  one. 

Under  another  head  we  have  already  spoken  of  the 
subject  of  diet,  which  should  play  as  important  a  part  as 
does  exercise  itself.  It  is  the  quality  of  food  rather 
than  the  quantity  which  produces  a  healthful  result. 
If  we  have  spoken  from  the  physical  side  alone,  it  has 
been  because  such  hints,  which  are  too  frequently 
ignored  by  the  healer,  may  be  of  great  assistance. 


54  MENTAL   HEALERS. 

We  leave  it  to  the  intelligence  of  those  who  practice 
in  this  line  as  to  the  amount  of  diversion  and  amuse- 
ment the  patient  may  require.  Remembering,  always, 
that  whatever  the  mind '  is  occupied  with,  or  however 
exciting  the  moments  are,  effects  may  be  produced 
which  are  better  than  to  allow  the  patient  to  be  con- 
tinually dwelling  upon  himself. 

We  propose  to  give  a  few  examples  which  may,  at 
least,  be  of  benefit  to  the  operator,  wherein  both  the 
mental  and  physical  are  combined.  Drunkenness, 
opium-eating  and  other  habits  that  produce  a  dele- 
terious effect,  are  the  first  which  suggest  themselves. 
The  drunkard,  through  excessive  use  of  liquors,  has 
introduced  certain  chemicals  into  the  system  which 
are  continually  crying  out  for  their  counterpart.  If 
the  entire  effect  of  a  drunken  debauch  could  be 
expunged  from  the  system  directly  after  its  conclu- 
sion, the  appetite  would  not  become  the  overpowering 
one  that  it  is ;  but  with  these  chemicals  remaining 
in  the  system,  they  are  constantly  being  added  to 
and,  after  a  short  time,  so  preponderate  that  the 
individual  feels  that  he  cannot  live  without  a  certain 
amount  of  alcoholic  stimulation.  The  brain  becomes 
excited  and,  up  to  a  certain  time,  is  more  the  instru- 
ment of  the  spirit  than  when  in  its  normal  state. 
But  the  boundary  line  between  this  condition  and  its 
opposite  is  all  too  quickly  passed.  In  treating  a  man 
for  drunkenness,  this  chemical  condition  must  be  taken 
largely  into  consideration,  for  the  individual  who  is 
thus  afflicted  is  as  much  under  the  hypnotic  influence 
of  alcoholic  chemicals  as  is  the  subject  under  the  sway 


MENTAL   HEALERS.  55 

of  the  operator.  The  Keeley  cure  and  other  such  in- 
ventions recognize  this  physical  effect  in  a  somewhat 
limited  way  at  present,  but  they  are  working  in  the 
right  direction.  They  introduce  into  the  blood  certain 
chemicals  which  counteract  the  other  elements  in  the 
system  and,  at  the  same  time,  do  all  they  can  to  en- 
courage the  patient  both  mentally  and  spiritually. 

The  mental  healer  will  be  compelled  to  work  in  pre- 
cisely the  same  wray,  only  if  he  be  strong  in  magnetic 
possession  he  will  be  able,  by  the  effort  of  his  own  will, 
to  impart  the  essence  of  these  counteracting  chemicals 
in  the  magnetic  wave  which  he  will  project  upon  the 
patient.  But  he  will  require  to  be  in  somewhat  con- 
stant association  with  the  patient  so  as  to  hold  his  men- 
tality within  his  own  grasp.  In  such  treatment  both 
patient  and  operator  should,  for  the  first  weeks,  take 
frequent  baths  to  remove  the  elements  thrown  off  and 
constantly  exercise  in  the  open  air,  while,  at  the  same 
time,  liquor  should  be  present  on  the  sideboard  so  that 
the  patient  will  not  receive  the  impression  that  he  is 
governed  by  any  outside  will. 

And  what  is  true  of  liquor  and  its  excessive  use,  re- 
lates with  equal  pertinence  to  the  use  of  all  narcotizing 
drugs.  We  have  known  morphine  patients,  who  have 
been  greatly  addicted  to  its  use,  to  be  perfectly  satisfied 
with  a  hypodermic  of  hot  water,  believing  all  the  time 
that  it  contained  the  much-loved  drug.  But  a  gradual 
reduction  of  the  supply  is,  after  this  has  been  followed 
for  a  week  say,  not  attended  with  permanent  results. 
The  enormity  of  the  habit  is  lost  sight  of  and  the 
patient,  seeing  no  ill  effect  from  a  moderate  indulgence 


56  MENTAL   HEALERS. 

in  these  drugs,  at  once  begins  to  rest  upon  what  he 
is  pleased  to  call  the  Use  of  them.  After  the  first  week, 
close  the  door  absolutely  to  the  habit  and  then  work 
both  materially  and  spiritually  to  expel  the  poisonous 
elements,  which  die  only  from  starvation. 

Crime  is  another  dark  shadow  that  hangs  over  the 
fair  face  of  present  and  past  civilization.  Various 
means  have  been  devised  as  the  remedy  for  and  con- 
trol of  its  expression.  Criminal  propensities  are  almost 
universally  the  result  either  of  inheritance  or  are  due 
to  a  negativity  of  the  spirit,  whereby  its  possibility  is 
not  properly  unfolded,  nor  individual  control  attended 
to.  Murderers,  and  their  kind,  are  almost  always  pos- 
sessed of  highly  excitable  temperaments  and,  though 
they  may  execute  their  designs  with  great  clear-headed- 
ness, yet  there  will  always  be  some  underlying  griev- 
ance which  inspires  it.  Crime  is  a  disease  and  as  such 
should  be  treated  by  the  sympathetic  heart  rather  than 
punished  by  an  obdurate  judge.  What  personal 
deformity  is  to  the  body,  the  tendency  of  crime  and 
the  thirst  for  blood  are  to  the  spirit.  Jails  and  prisons 
may  deal  with  the  physical  side  of  the  question,  but  an 
intelligent  mind  will  see  how  superficial  such  treatment 
is.  Of  course,  the  whole  thing  springs  from  improper 
generation  and  can  never  be  wholly  rectified  until  as 
much  care,  at  least,  is  given  to  the  creation  of  human 
beings,  as  the  florist  or  the  breeder  of  cattle  is  compelled 
to  devote  to  perfection  in  his  especial  line. 

Children,  for  the  most  part,  HAPPEN  to  be  born. 
The  temperaments  of  the  parents  and  the  best  con- 
ditions that  should  surround  their  conception  and  gen- 


MENTAL   HEAI.KKS.    .  57 

eration  are  things  rarely  ever  considered,  and  those  who, 
with  indifferent  spirit,  take  upon  themselves  the  respon- 
sibility of  becoming  parents  should  not,  in  turn,  be 
wholly  relieved  of  the  consequences  of  their  action. 

This  is  a  question  that  must  enlist,  to  a  much  greater 
degree  than  it  has  thus  far  done,  not  only  the  attention 
of  the  physician  and  the  reformer,  but  also  that  of  every 
intelligent  human  being.  These  matters  cannot  be  left 
to  take  care  of  themselves  and  then  society  punish  the 
result  as  a  means  of  protecting  it  from  unjust  invasion, 
but  the  underlying  causes  should  be  dragged  out  into 
the  light,  carefully  analyzed  and  the  conclusion  arrived 
at,  therefrom,  entered  upon  the  lawbooks  of  the  world. 
It  is  not  enough  that  every  restraining  influence  which 
a  humane  government  can  devise  is  exerted  for  the  unfor- 
tunate and  afflicted  for  their  benefit,  since  the  same 
amount  of  strong  effort  and  attention  would,  in  a  short 
time,  prevent  the  constant  accession  of  numbers  to  this 
class.  Surely,  every  boy  and  girl  should  be  taught  the 
laws  governing  their  physical  and  spiritual  life  ;  should 
be  made  to  feel  that  the  responsibilities  accruing  from 
their  exercise  should  rest  with  them,  and  that  every 
child  has  a  right,  if  the  best  is  to  be  expected  of  him  in 
the  future,  to  be  born  under  healthy  conditions  and  in 
happy  surroundings,  not  as  a  result  of  indiscretion  or 
excess,  but  as  a  crowning  glory  of  a  union  of  both  hearts 
and  hands.  It  is  a  fact  that  these  important  questions 
are  not  discussable  in  spheres  polite,  are  really  looked 
upon  as  altogether  too  delicate  for  the  ordinary  mind  to 
consider,  and  that  ignorance  in  regard  to  them  is  both 
excusable  and  commendatory,  while  those  who  violate 


58  MENTAL   HEALERS. 

the  law  most  are  seemingly  oblivious  to  any  responsi- 
bility whatever,  and  persistently  go  on  their  way  re- 
gretting the  mistakes  made  through  ignorance,  the  while 
silencing  the  voice  that  is  raised  in  protest  against  it,  for- 
getting that  the  only  way  out  of  all  this  present  chaos 
will  alone  be  found  through  meeting  the  difficulties 
squarely  and  discussing  them  intelligently.  More  im- 
portant than  the  condition  of  man  after  death,  is  a 
knowledge  of  the  laws  upon  which  his  life  depends 
before  birth ;  for,  if  he  be  born  rightly,  the  future  will 
take  care  of  itself,  and  the  part  now  played  by  religion 
and  theology  in  the  drama  of  human  life  will  be  wholly 
an  unnecessary  one,  for  the  child  will  be  so  much  in 
accord  with  himself  and,  consequently,  in  harmony  with 
God,  as  to  render  the  necessity  for  regeneration  and  re- 
demption entirely  out  of  question.  He  will  know  no 
fear  as  to  the  future  life,  for,  being  guided  by  the  never- 
failing  light  within,  he  will  walk  in  that  straight  path 
that  leadeth  unto  greater  light,  where  all  goodness  and 
truth  abide. 


PART  V. 

CRIAE  BY  INHERITANCE. 
CONDITIONS  PRODUCING  CRIME. 
IDIOCY.   - 


6i 


INHERITANCE. 


(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1893,  by  AUGUSTA  W.  FLETCHER,  M.  D., 
in  the  office  of  tbe  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Waihlngton.) 


It  would  appear  that  the  law  of  heredity  finds  an 
illustration  in  the  case  of  children  who,  from  the  earliest 
years,  seem  to  have  a  desire  to  do  wrong.  Generally, 
the  parent,  in  anger  for  the  wrong  committed,  punishes 
the  child,  developing  by  reflection  the  same  spirit  of 
anger  in  the  culprit.  At  once  the  child  would,  in  turn, 
inflict  like  punishment  upon  the  parent  if  he  could,  but 
the  superior  physical  strength  of  the  former  wins  in  the 
fight  and  the  child,  though  conquered,  is  not  convinced. 
And  the  system  of  legal  punishment  is  based  upon  the 
same  plan  and,  while  this  is  so,  most  criminals  leave  the 
jails,  prisons  and  reformatories  where  they  have  been 
serving  out  their  sentences,  in  a  worse  state  than  when 
they  began.  In  fact,  these  institutions  can,  with  great 
show  of  truth,  be  called  schools  of  crime  and  cesspools 
of  vice.  What  the  young  criminal  does  not  know, 
through  lack  of  proper  classification  among  the  prisoners, 
he  learns  from  the  old  offenders. 

There  have  been  many  children  guilty  of  murder, 
boy-murderers  they  are  called,  for  whose  action  this 
law  of  heredity,  or  the  presence  of  some  invisible  in- 
fluence not  recognized  by  the  general  mind,  will  furnish 
the  only  explanation.  We  have  observed  such  cases  as 
that  of  Jesse  Pomeroy  and  find  that,  through  the 


62  CRIME   BY    INHERITANCE. 

occupation  of  his  father,  he  inherited  the  thirst  for 
blood  which  developed  itself  in  all  the  horrible  atrocity 
of  the  crime  he  committed.  Allowing  the  right  of  such 
persons  as  his  parents  to  marry  and  have  children,  there 
should  be  a  better  solution  to  the  result  of  such  a 
marriage  than  a  lifetime  in  the  penitentiary. 

And  what  is  that  solution  ?  The  moment  that  the 
tendencies  of  the  child  became  apparent,  and  their 
baneful  effect  recognized,  he  should  have  immediately 
become  the  subject  for  the  attention  of  the  physician 
and,  if  this  state  could  not  be  counteracted,  removed 
from  associations  where  danger  was  likely  to  occur, 
instead  of  waiting  for  the  intervention  of  the  police. 
That  is  to  say,  he  should  have  been  surrounded  by 
influences  of  an  exactly  opposite  nature  and  have  been 
taught  to  control  his  temper ;  and,  in  fact,  the  whole 
mental  state  changed,  which  could  have  been  readily 
done  through  the  administering  of  proper  magnetic 
influences. 

We  hear  the  objector  say  that  all  this  would  entail 
great  expense  of  time  and  money  upon  society.  If 
that  be  true,  so  long  as  society  recognizes  a  violation 
of  nature's  laws,  it  should  bear  such  expense,  no  matter 
how  great  it  may  be.  The  time  will  come,  it  is  not  far 
distant,  when,  instead  of  the  criminal  being  always  a 
criminal,  crime  will  be  recognized  as  a  disease  re- 
sulting from  the  transgression  of  nature's  law,  and 
it  will  be  the  object  of  those  who  understand  this 
law  to  pity,  instead  of  condemn,  and  to  strengthen, 
rather  than  punish,  those  who  are  thus  afflicted.  To- 
day, the  moment  a  man  passes  the  portals  of  the  prison 


CRIME   BY   INHERITANCE.  63 

in  which  he  is  condemned  to  serve  a  given  number  of 
years  he  finds  himself  in  another  world,  out  of  which  all 
the  sunshine  and  human  sympathy  has  been  taken,  and 
he  is  made  to  feel  that  he  has  dropped  below  the  level 
of  the  lowest  who  are  within,  and  becomes  joined  to  a 
class  against  whom  the  hand  of  the  world  has  ever  been 
and  will  ever  be  lifted.  Instinctively,  a  rebellion  against 
fate  is  raised  within  him  and,  although  he  may  be  able 
to  recognize  the  justice  of  his  punishment  for  the  crime 
committed,  he  will  find  it  difficult  to  escape  the  greater 
penalty  which  society  and  the  world  impose,  and  which 
continues  long  after  the  law,  itself,  has  been  satisfied. 
The  stamp  of  Cain  is  upon  his  brow,  and  go  where  he 
may,  and  strive  with  all  the  effort  of  his  power,  the 
words  "  he  has  been  in  jail "  will  be  sufficient  to  close 
the  doors  of  the  most  humane  against  him.  Years  of 
repentance,  tears  and  prayers  are  all  insufficient  to  wipe 
out  the  stain. 

The  criminal  imperceptibly  recognizes  this  fact  and, 
instead  of  growing  from  crime  and  aspiring  to  higher 
and  better  things,  which  the  after-years  shall  realize,  he 
passes  his  time  of  punishment  either  in  cursing  his 
enemies  or  evolving  new  schemes  in  which  there  will  be 
less  danger  of  being  discovered  than  formerly.  But  he 
gradually  becomes  less  and  less  susceptible  to  every 
benign  influence ;  he  hardens  his  heart  against  every 
tender  suggestion  or  thought  and  finally  goes  forth 
more  at  war  with  society  than,  in  turn,  society  is  at 
enmity  with  him.  Cruel  as  were  the  influences  of  the 
prison,  they  are  more  than  intensified  by  the  treatment 
he  receives  from  the  world  when  he  comes  out,  and 


64  CRIME   BY    INHERITANCE. 

thus  all  that  is  good  is  crushed  out  of  him  and  all  that 
is  evil  is  strengthened.  When  this  is  recognized,  a 
system  will  be  evolved  whereby  penitentiaries  will 
become  places  of  reformation  indeed  and  the  theologian, 
who  plays  such  an  unimportant  part  in  the  world,  con- 
fining his  attention  to  the  events  expected  to  occur 
some  time  in  eternity,  will  find  this  sphere  of  usefulness 
of  more  account  and  value. 

We  have  not  referred  to  the  punishment  of  criminals 
by  death,  whether  it  be  upon  the  gallows  or  by  the 
more  modern  invention  of  electrocution,  for  such  pun- 
ishment is  fast  passing  away,  to  take  its  place  among 
the  other  relics  of  barbarism  which  a  higher  civiliza- 
tion has  already  repudiated.  It  is  well,  however,  to 
observe  that  the  apparent  effects  produced  by  these 
legalized  murders  are  most  alarming  in  their  result. 


CONDITIONS  FRODU^INQ  CRIME. 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congre«,  in  the  year  1893,  by  AUGOSTA  W.  FLITCH KK.  M.  D., 
in  tbe  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Wash  ngton.) 


The  larger  part  of  the  great  army  of  criminals  is  not 
stamped  by  the  law  of  heredity  or  any  distinct  propen- 
sity for  wrong-doing,  but  they  are  possessed  of  the  ele- 
ments which,  under  wrong  direction,  may  develop  in 
most  adverse  ways.  The  half-formed  physical  organiza- 
tion, over  which  the  spirit  has  but  an  incomplete  sway,  is 
subject  to  passing  influences  that,  for  the  time,  com- 
pletely prevents  any  spiritual  impressions  of  a  higher 
order  and,  oftentimes,  draws  the  man  into  the  mire  of 
destruction  and  death. 

Physiology  and  the  much-laughed-at  claim  of  phre- 
nology serve  to  illustrate  that,  when  a  great  crime  is 
committed,  there  is  something  wrong  with  the  indi- 
vidual, physically,  and  this  disease — for  whatever  is 
wrong  in  the  system  cannot  be  called  by  a  better  name 
— prevents  any  direct  action  of  the  higher  self.  Many 
a  criminal  has  found  it  difficult  to  understand  why  he 
committed  a  crime,  as  have  his  fellows  who  had  no  part 
or  connection  with  it. 

The  general  tendency  of  the  human  body  is  like  unto 
that  of  less  developed  animals,  and  you  would  hardly 
hold  an  animal  responsible  for  acting  out  its  nature. 
The  lion  and  the  tiger  feed  upon  human  beings,  and 
individuals,  brought  into  the  realms  of  civilization,  are  so 


66  CONDITIONS   PRODUCING   CRIME. 

placed  that  they  cannot  carry  out  the  original  instincts 
of  the  body  except  by  violation  of  laws  framed  to  meet 
social  conditions.  Human  beings,  in  some  instances, 
where  the  physical  largely  predominates,  are  scarcely 
more  responsible  than  animals  and,  when  under  the 
sway  of  their  angry  passions,  which  they  have  never  been 
taught  to  control,  become  the  victims  of  invisible  in- 
fluences which  carry  them  along  the  swift  current  of 
their  own  evil  intents. 

In  recruiting  men  for  the  army,  or  for  any  responsible 
position  where  physical  strength  is  required,  the  state 
carefully  examines  into  their  condition  and,  in  many 
cases,  into  the  antecedents  of  the  applicants  as  well,  so 
that  they  will  be  able  to  perform  the  duties  of  the  office 
which  they  are  about  to  accept. 

The  time  will  come  when,  in  the  study  of  the 
development  of  the  human  race,  this  line  of  examination 
will  be  applied  to  every  department  of  life  and 
physicians  will  be  wise  enough  to  discover  criminal 
tendencies  and  place  those  who  are  afflicted  under  such 
benign  influences  that  a  remedy  will  be  assured.  That 
this  will  entail  more  hospitals  for  a  time  is  true,  but 
there  will  be  less  jails  and  prisons. 

Some  years  ago,  when  leprosy  was  common  through- 
out Palestine  and,  through  commingling  and  lack  of 
cleanliness,  was.  becoming  almost  epidemic,  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Valentine  foresaw  a  great  work  that  might  be 
accomplished  not  only  for  these  unfortunates  them- 
selves, but  for  the  community  in  which  they  lived.  To 
cure  the  disease  or  even  remedy  it  was  a  recognized 
impossibility,  so  an  institution  was  built  outside  the 


CONDITIONS   PRODUCING   CRIME.  67 

walls  of  Jerusalem,  through  generous  contributions, 
and  persons  thus  afflicted,  or  any  one  who  had 
symptoms  of  disease,  were  gathered  in  with  the  hope 
of  preventing  them  from  contaminating  others  with 
their  contact  and  thereby  stopping  its  increase  by 
confining  it  to  the  individuals  alone.  That  is  to  say, 
those  afflicted  should  live  apart  from  their  fellows 
and  with  their  death  the  germs  of  the  disease  would 
die  also. 

It  is  our  idea  that  those  who  are  afflicted  with  the 
symptoms  of  crime  should  be  dealt  with  in  precisely 
the  same  way,  and  that  the  highest  laws  of  society 
should  be  employed  in  either  remedying  or  eliminating 
evil  tendencies  in  their  incipiency,  rather  than  in 
punishing  the  criminal  afterward.  This  alone  could  be 
done  by  absenting  the  patient  from  the  friction  and 
heat  of  everyday  life,  with  an  impulse  to  develop  the 
higher  and  the  better  side  of  the  nature  which,  in  every 
instance,  is  possible. 

It  will  be  readily  understood  that  soil  left  to  itself 
never  produces  a  harvest  of  either  fruit  or  grain.  It 
runs  away  to  weeds,  oftentimes  of  a  poisonous  nature. 
It  remains  for  man  to  cultivate  the  soil,  root  out  the 
weeds  and  plant  the  seed  for  the  harvest  in  their  place. 
Man,  to-day,  is  an  undeveloped  soil  running  to  weeds  ; 
indeed,  the  careful  training  of  the  wise  hand  and  then 
the  implanting  of  seeds  which  shall  give  new  impulses 
and  higher  purposes  to  the  human  mind  is  required. 
We  have  said  all  this  with  the  idea  of  leading  up  to  the 
one  point,  namely,  that  the  mental  healer  is  probably 
the  only  one  who  can  accomplish  much  good  in  the 


68  CONDITIONS   PRODUCING   CRIME. 

premises  indicated.  He  will  perceive  by  our  argument, 
which,  from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  is  bound  to  be 
somewhat  discursive,  that  in  the  criminal  or  the  man 
of  criminal  tendencies,  the  lower  self  predominates  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  higher  self,  and  that  his  province 
is  to  take  such  afflicted  persons  out  of  the  realms  of 
moral  and  spiritual  darkness  and  bring  them  into  the 
fuller  light  of  the  truth,  always  being  willing  to  accept 
whatever  material  aids  the  development  of  medical 
science  has  to  offer. 

But  punishment  is  neither  a  remedy  nor  a  preventa- 
tive  in  the  true  sense.  Legislation,  no  matter  how 
severe  the  enactments,  will  never  be  able  to  circumvent 
the  mental  activities  of  evil-disposed  minds.  It  requires 
this  law  of  higher  education  ;  it  requires  that  individual 
responsibility  shall  be  taught  even  to  the  child,  and 
more  than  that,  every  human  being  should  be  made  to 
feel  that  he  is  honest  and  true  for  honesty's  and  truth's 
sake,  because  they  are  best,  rather  than  through  fear  of 
the  penitentiary  or  the  gallows. 


(Entered  a&ordtng  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1893,  by  AUGUSTA  W.  FLETCBKB,  M.  D., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congrest  at  Washington.) 

Although  the  entire  universe  has  been  arranged  by 
the  divine  spirit  for  the  expression  of  his  purpose  and 
all  influences,  in  the  end,  work  together  for  good,  there 
are  many  imperfect  manifestations  of  life  that  are  diffi- 
cult for  the  human  mind  to  accept  as  being  enacted 
under  an  absolutely  just  law. 

Some  human  beings  seem  to  be  endowed  with  every 
blessing  and  possibility,  as  if  the  richest  jewels  in  the 
heavenly  casket  had  been  selected  for  their  especial 
benefit.  Health,  happiness  and  the  realization  of  life's 
ambitions  are  as  so  many  gifts  of  the  gods  scattered 
about  them,  while  there  are  others  who  seemingly  are 
deprived  of  nearly  every  blessing,  conceived  in  iniquity, 
born  in  sin  and  reared  under  the  most  malign  influences, 
the  entire  pathway  of  their  life  being  strewn  with 
misfortune,  disappointment  and  disease. 

The  heights  of  the  mountains  and  the  depths  of  the 
valleys  present  no  more  striking  contrasts  than  are  every- 
where seen  in  the  demonstrations  of  human  life.  In 
fact,  so  apparent  are  these  differences  that  the  cursory 
observer  will  often  declare  that  those  who  are  blessed  are 
basking  in  the  smile  of  God,  while  those  who  are  cursed 
by  the  weight  of  misfortune  are  resting  under  the  ban 
of  his  wrath  and  disapproval ;  or,  to  borrow  a  theological 


70  IDIOCY. 

phrase,  some  are  the  children  of  light,  while  others  are 
the  children  of  darkness.  The  world  has  never  yet 
satisfactorily  solved  the  problem  of  good  and  evil. 
The  wisest  philosopher  of  the  past  and  the  most 
profound  of  the  present  are  as  much  at  sea,  upon  this 
subject,  as  they  were  when  they  began  its  study. 

And  the  reason  for  this  is  apparent.  Men  in  trying 
to  find  God  have  studied  the  stars  and  all  the  external 
manifestations  of  the  natural  universe  and,  from  what 
they  have  been  able  to  observe,  have  formulated  various 
theories,  all  of  them  more  or  less  insufficient  and  incom- 
plete. He  who  would  find  God  must  not  seek  him  in 
the  outer  world,  but  look  within,  for  there  he  will  find 
the  only  manifestation  of  the  divine  that  he  will  ever 
be  able  to  recognize,  and  far  more  than,  in  the 
present  state,  he  is  able  to  comprehend  or  understand. 
So  with  any  manifestation  of  divine  law.  To  simply 
view  the  result  without  recognizing  the  cause  is  to 
reason  from  a  wrong  hypothesis,  and  to  leave  unrecog- 
nized the  pivot  upon  which  the  whole  matter  turns. 

We  contend  that  there  is  no  evil,  in  the  absolute 
sense  ;  that  there  are  no  mistakes  and  no  accidents ;  every- 
thing that  occurs  is  the  result  of  some  just  cause,  the 
outworking  of  which,  in  the  end,  cannot  but  result  in 
good.  Whatever  expressions  of  life  are  seen  upon  this 
plane  of  existence  are  the  best  that  can  be  made  under 
the  circumstances  and,  however  futile  they  may  appear, 
are  but  stepping  stones  to  a  still  greater  result  that  is 
destined  to  follow  the  attempt. 

In  the  idiot  we  see  what  appears  to  be  a  failure. 
A  life,  in  his  case,  given  to  the  world  apparently  pur- 


IDIOCY.  /I 

poseless  and  valueless.  He  seems  to  be  a  breathing 
nonentity,  unable  to  give  or  receive  any  pleasure  or 
happiness.  To  him  the  world  is  an  inconsequential 
one  ;  the  dull  eyes,  expressionless  face  and  meaningless 
mutterings  are  of  no  interest  to  anyone,  and  yet,  he  has 
a  spirit,  has  a  destiny  which  he  is  fulfilling,  as  important, 
in  the  sum  of  things,  as  that  of  any  other  in  the  world. 

An  idiot  child  has  as  much  intelligence  as  any  other, 
the  difference  being  that  he  is  not  able,  through  the 
physical  environments  in  which  his  spirit  is  placed,  to 
express  either  thoughts  or  intelligence.  His  spirit  is 
connected  to  his  body,  but  by  such  a  narrow  thread  of 
life  that  each  live  without  much  relationship  one  with 
the  other.  The  imperfect  formation  of  the  brain,  which 
is  due,  usually,  to  some  prenatal  condition,  shuts  the 
door  to  all  the  aspirations  of  the  spirit.  In  fact,  the 
spirit  is  dumb,  while  the  lips  chatter  on  in  a  meaningless 
fashion.  It  is  like  a  musical  instrument,  well  enough 
constructed  so  far  as  shape  and  mechanism  are  con- 
cerned, but  with  only  a  note  here  and  there  that 
responds  to  the  spirit. 

To  imagine  that  the  spirit  of  the  idiot  does  not  un- 
derstand what  is  passing  on  round  about  it,  or  hear 
what  is  said,  is  a  mistake.  It  has  the  power  to  under- 
stand, but  not  the  power  to  express.  The  treatment 
of  those  thus  afflicted  should  be  of  the  kindest  and  the 
gentlest  character  and,  in  many  cases,  where  these 
laws  are  observed,  the  best  results  will  follow. 

An  idiot,  in  short,  is  a  child  whose  spirit  is  wholly 
out  of  relationship  with  the  body  save  by  a  slight 
physical  attraction  which  asserts  itself  with  an  inexo- 


72  IDIOCY. 

rable  force  and,  like  an  eagle  chained  to  a  rock,  such 
a  body  holds  the  spirit.  All  that  is  harmonious 
will  be  helpful,  all  that  is  oppressive  is  bound  to  be 
injurious.  Oftentimes,  such  a  nature  is  responsive  to 
some  one  or  two  attributes  ;  music,  flowers  and  children 
frequently  exert  an  almost  fascinating  charm.  Not 
much  can  be  done  except  to  conform  to  the  laws  of 
happiness  and  harmony  as  much  as  possible,  realizing 
that  the  fault  is  not  due  to  any  curse  of  God,  but  to 
the  ignorant  violation  of  some  law  in  nature. 

We  might  say  here,  although  it  will  convey  but 
small  meaning  to  the  ordinary  mind,  that  these  partial 
incarnations  are  all  significant,  full  of  meaning  and  sug- 
gestive to  the  enlightened  student  of  spiritual  science  ; 
that  in  the  various  expressions  the  spirit  makes  at 
different  times  in  the  world's  history,  the  complete  and 
the  incomplete,  the  satisfied  and  the  unsatisfied,  the 
high  and  the  low,  all  furnish  ultimately  the  foundation 
for  the  after  success  of  the  spirit. 


FART  VI. 

IN5ANITY. 
OB5E55ION. 


75 


INSANITY. 


(Entered  according  to  Act  ft  Congress.  In  the  year  1893.  by  Ai-ourri  W.  FLETCHER,  M.  D., 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Waihington.) 


This  is  less  understood  than  any  other  form  of  disease. 
We  employ  the  word  disease,  since,  although  insuffi- 
cient, it  is  more  comprehensive  than  any  other  word 
that  suggests  itself. 

In  the  insane  person  a  complete  change,  both 
physical  and  spiritual,  takes  place,  and  is  an  illustra- 
tion of  an  extreme  discord  that  may  exist  between 
the  spirit  and  the  body.  This  discord  arises  from 
various  causes ;  perhaps,  from  physical  disease  that  so 
changes  the  entire  chemicals  of  the  body  that  there 
is  little  or  no  affiliation  between  it  and  the  spirit,  or,  it 
may  be,  that  great  sorrow,  accident,  excitement  or  a 
variety  of  causes  that  are  so  positive  in  their  character 
as  to  have  wholly  disturbed  the  spiritual  relationship 
existing  between  the  two  great  factors  that  constitute 
human  life.  Be  assured  that  chemical  changes  have 
certainly  taken  place  in  the  physical  organization.  The 
brain  is  no  longer  the  same,  the  action  of  the  heart  and 
the  circulation  of  the  blood  have  undergone  a  change 
and,  in  a  realm  where  there  was  once  law  and  order, 
chaos  and  disruption  now  reign.  The  spirit  has  not 
the  power  to  assert  itself;  the  body  has,  strangely 
enough,  gained  the  ascendency  through  the  lack  of 
spiritual  influx  it  receives  and,  consequently,  without 


76  INSANITY. 

attraction,  moves  on  its  way,  carrying  destruction  and 
sorrow  along  with  it.  There  will  be  times  when,  in  the 
presence  of  some  persons,  the  spirit  will  be  able  to  very 
nearly  assume  its  own  control  and  the  individual  will, 
thereby,  appear  almost  as  sane  as  ever.  He  will  live 
over  old  scenes,  speak  rationally  and  appear  to  have 
regained  the  seat  of  power ;  but  remove  him  from  the 
aforesaid  presence,  and  the  magnetic  influence  that  it 
exerts,  and  the  patient  is  worse  than  ever.  The  reason 
for  this  is  plain.  The  magnetisms  supplied  by  certain 
people  are  the  very  elements  that  the  spirit  wants, 
and  while  it  is  able  to  get  them  it  regains  its  own 
naturalness  of  action  and  expression ;  for  magnetism 
is  but  the  essence  of  life,  and  contains  all  the  elements 
that  the  spirit  requires. 

The  present  method  of  treating  the  insane  is  about 
the  worst  that  could  be  suggested,  for  these  persons  are 
herded  together  in  large  institutions,  sometimes  hun- 
dreds under  the  same  roof;  the  conditions  that  should 
be  carefully  observed  are  wholly  ignored,  and  a  sane 
person,  subjected  to  the  same  association  and  rules 
for  one  year,  would  find  it  difficult  to  retain  a 
hold  over  himself.  The  atmosphere  is  filled  with 
the  diseased  elements  that  are  thrown  off  and  the 
body,  without  the  positive  action  of  the  spirit,  readily 
takes  them  on  again.  The  reason  why  so  few 
persons  are  discharged  as  cured  from  these  institutions, 
is  due  to  this  cause. 

There  should  be  a  great  similarity  between  the 
treatment  of  the  insane  and  that  of  the  criminal. 
Every  jail  becomes  a  school  of  crime  through  a  lack 


INSANITY.  77 

of  proper  classification  of  the  criminals  and  because 
the  entire  influence  generated  is  of  the  criminal 
order.  This  state  of  things  exists  to  a  greater 
degree  in  the  hospitals  of  the  insane,  where  those 
who  are  only  partially  affected  are  placed  with  others 
who  are  hopelessly  so,  and  thus  two  organizations, 
that  should  be  as  widely  separated  as  the  poles,  are 
brought  into  close  juxtaposition  with  each  other. 

A  large  percentage  of  the  mild  form  of  insanity  could 
be  remedied  and,  in  many  cases,  absolutely  cured  if  the 
patient  could  be  removed  from  discordant  surroundings 
and  placed  under  harmonious  circumstances.  What- 
ever medical  science  can  do  to  regulate  the  body  should 
be  done,  but  in  effecting  a  cure,  the  spirit  must  be 
directly  appealed  to.  Everything  that  will  call  it  into 
active  relationship  with  the  body  should  be  done  and 
as  little  restraint  placed  over  the  patient  as  possible. 
Hard-hearted  and  cruel  keepers  and  unsympathetk  at- 
tendants should  be  persons  unknown  in  these  re- 
formatories. In  fact,  if  we  are  to  have  these  institutions 
at  all,  let  them  be  managed  and  conducted  by  those 
whose  perceptions  are  developed,  and  whose  general 
temperament  is  helpful  and  kind. 

Some  of  the  blackest  horrors  that  mark  this  most  pro- 
gressive civilization  are  the  result  of  investigations  into 
the  conduct  of  these  asylums.  Positions  are  held,  not 
according  to  the  fitness  of  the  individual,  but  through 
his  social  and  political  influence,  and  gross  neglect, 
utter  ignorance  and  absolute  barbarity  stand  forth, 
in  all  their  horrors,  when  the  kindly  hand  lifts  the  cur- 
tain that  shields  these  institutions  from  the  public  gaze. 


78  OBSESSION. 

Persons  acting  in  the  capacity  of  attendants  in  such 
places  should  be  properly  educated  and  trained  for 
their  work,  and  at  the  first  exhibition  of  cruelty  should 
be  disqualified  for  that  position.  The  more  sunshine, 
the  more  harmony,  the  more  peaceful  associations 
that  you  can  surround  the  patient  with,  the  quicker  you 
can  induce  a  harmonious  relationship  between  his  spirit 
and  his  body. 

What  we  have  said  thus  far,  relates  to  persons  mildly 
affected,  and  now  we  shall  deal  with  the  extreme  cases, 
furnishing  an  explanation  which  will,  in  part,  apply  to 
all  to  a  degree,  and  this  explanation,  we  are  aware, 
will  be  discountenanced  by  all  those  who  have  not,  as 
yet,  entered  into  an  acceptation  of  the  spirit  being  the 
governing  law.  And  this  brings  us  to  the  consideration 
of 

•  OB5E5SION. 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1693,  by  AUGUSTA  W.  FLETCHER,  M.  D., 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington.) 

By  obsession  we  mean  the  possession  of  the  human 
body — the  full  and  the  partial  possession  of  the 
human  body — by  some  spirit  foreign  in  its  nature  and 
character  to  the  rightful  spiritual  possessor  thereof.  In 
order  for  this  to  be  understood,  it  must  be  recognized  as 
a  fact  that  death  is  a  physical  and  not  a  spiritual  condition 
and  that,  consequently,  every  spirit  that  has  existed  on 
the  earth  plane  still  moves  in  the  atmosphere  of  the 
earth,  although  the  body  which  it  inhabited  may  long 
since  have  crumbled  to  dust.  Such  spirits  manifest  the 


OHSKSSION. 


79 


same  desires,  proclivities,  attractions  and  repulsions  after 
death  as  before  and,  since  the  earth  and  its  conditions 
furnish  an  agreeable  plane  of  action,  they  are  all  the 
time  endeavoring  to  establish  relationship  with  a  body 
more  or  less  like  the  one  which  they  inhabited  when 
here. 

Instead  of  the  spiritual  world  being  filled  with  angels 
and  archangels,  who  pass  their  time  in  waving  palms 
and  chanting  praises,  it  is,  in  fact,  a  reproduction  of 
this  world  ;  or,  to  speak  exactly,  we  should  say  that  the 
earth  is  a  reflection  of  the  spirit-spheres  that  surround 
the  earth.  There  are  high  spirits  and  low  spirits,  good 
and  bad.  The  higher  the  spirit  the  more  removed 
from  the  earth  and  earthly  gratifications ;  the  lower  the 
spirit  the  closer  associated  with  the  earth.  High  spirits 
return  with  the  purpose  of  serving  humanity,  while  low 
spirits  return  with  the  idea  of  gratifying  themselves. 
As  the  earth  is  continually  sending  numberless  spirits 
of  this  latter  order  to  the  spirit  world,  it  is  not  strarige 
that  they  should  attempt  to  return  to  the  sphere  of 
their  earthly  enjoyments  again. 

"  Are  they  not  restrained  by  the  law  of  God  ?"  asks 
one.  They  are  not  restrained  from  doing  evil  on  that 
plane  of  life,  any  more  than  they  are  on  this.  God  sus- 
tains the  same  relationship  to  all  spheres  of  life,  and 
each  spirit  is  allowed  to  work  out  his  desire  until  the 
intelligence  is  developed  to  that  degree  wherein,  from 
choice,  he  ceases  to  do  evil  because  he  loves  to  do  well. 
Happiness,  then,  not  becoming  a  gift  dependent  upon 
the  goodness  of  God,  but  a  just  inheritance  bestowed 
upon  individual  work  and  endeavor. 


80  OBSESSION. 

But  to  return,  these  undeveloped  spirits,  while  in 
close  association  with  the  earth,  reaffiliate  themselves 
with  every  circumstance  and  individual  wherein  exists 
the  smallest  physical  attraction  for  them.  Over  every 
jail,  over  every  prison,  around  every  corner  grogshop 
and  den  of  infamy  they  congregate,  seeking  to  find 
some  organization  with  which  they  can  associate  them- 
selves and,  thereby,  gratify  their  old  earthly  desires. 
If  they  find  an  organization  out  of  harmony  with  itself, 
which  furnishes  any  attraction  for  them  whatever,  they 
immediately  assume  control  of  it,  disconnecting  the  spirit 
that  belongs  therein  and  assuming  the  reins  of  control 
themselves.  Consequently,  the  patient  manifests  attri- 
butes wholly  inconsistent  with  what  you  formerly  knew 
of  him.  He  hates  his  best  friends  and  loves  the  things 
which,  in  other  days,  he  used  to  abhor.  In  fact,  the 
physical  countenance  will  become  so  changed  that  you 
will^carcely  be  able  to  recognize  it.  In  dealing,  then, 
witn  this  matter,  you  have  a  third  element  which  is  not 
recognized  by  the  medical  science  of  the  present  day ; 
for,  to  them,  the  cause  of  disease  exists  within  the  indi- 
vidual, and  is  dealt  with  alone  from  that  standpoint.  It 
has  only  been  recently  that  psychical  influences  have 
been  recognized  as  producing  a  strong  effect  upon  the 
nervous  system  of  highly  sensitive  people,  and  when 
this  idea  was  first  suggested,  it  was  as  much  derided  as, 
no  doubt,  our  present  proposition  will  be,  which  is,  that 
in  severe  cases  of  insanity  the  spirit  is  wholly  thrown 
out  of  connection  with  the  body,  and  another  spirit,  for 
which  that  body  furnishes  some  attraction,  but  with  an 
influence  more  or  less  foreign  to  it,  steps  in  and  takes 


OBSESSION.  8 1 

its  place,  manifesting  all  the  idiosyncrasies,  hates,  likes 
and  peculiarities  of  a  distinctive  mind.  In  fact,  this 
new  controlling  spirit  fails  to  recognize  either  duties, 
persons  or  surroundings,  but  has  brought,  with  itself,  its 
own  past,  which,  with  difficulty,  it  is  trying  to  fit  down 
to  the  present. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  insane  people  is,  that  while 
in  excited  states,  they  seem  bent  upon  self-destruction. 
This  is  looked  upon  as  a  natural  symptom  and  neither 
the  friends  nor  the  physicians  are  surprised  at  it ;  but 
there  is  a  far  deeper  cause  than  mere  mental  peculiarity. 
This  foreign  spirit  finds  itself  in  a  sphere  which,  after  it 
has  occupied  it  for  a  time,  becomes  distasteful.  It  can- 
not get  away  from  the  attraction  that  was  exerted  over 
it  in  the  first  instance,  and  these  determined  efforts  at 
self-destruction  are  the  spirit's  attempts  to  free  itself 
from  its  undesirable  environments.  With  great  cunning 
it  seeks  to  further  this  end,  for,  having  lived  independent 
of  the  body,  it  brings  back  to  physical  life  a  keener  per- 
ception and  deeper  penetration  than  is  possessed  by 
most  persons  and,  consequently,  unless  a  very  stringent 
guard  is  kept  over  the  patient,  he  will,  sooner  or  later, 
accomplish  his  purpose.  And  thus  the  spirit  will  again 
find  the  freedom  it  craves. 

There  are  other  forms  of  insanity  where  the  patient 
is  continually  manifesting  different  individualities.  One 
day  he  is  a  musician  ;  the  next  a  soldier  and  the  next 
some  one  else,  and  so  on  ad  infinitum.  These  different 
proclivities,  so  called,  reappear  at  given  intervals  and 
take  up  the  thread  where  it  has  been  broken  off.  Such 
individuals  are  the  playthings  of  a  number  of  undevel- 


82  OBSESSION. 

oped  spirits,  who  only  leave  to  make  place  for  others. 
The  departing  spirits  never  get  wholly  out  of  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  person  thus  afflicted,  but  are  in  constant 
association  with  him. 

Some  one  will  ask,  where  is  the  original  spirit  to 
whom  this  physical  body  belonged  in  the  first  place  ? 
As  much  removed  from  it  as  though  separated  by  death, 
is  our  answer ;  for  life  is  simply  the  attraction  of  these 
two  opposite  conditions.  Were  it  possible  to  bring 
about  the  same  physical  condition  as  existed  when  both 
spirit  and  body  were  harmoniously  united,  the  spirit 
would,  without  doubt,  be  attracted  back  to  its  old  centre 
of  action  and,  as  we  have  before  said,  the  only  conditions 
that  are  likely  to  bring  about  this  result  are  dependent 
upon  the  establishment  of  complete  magnetic  attrac- 
tions. This  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  achievements 
known,  and  there  are  few  instances  in  which  it  has  ever 
been  carried  out  with  success.  Kindness,  sympathetic 
care  and  plenty  of  outdoor  life  are  the  only  suggestions 
that  we  can  offer  in  a  general  way. 

When  human  beings  are  taught  that  the  other  world 
is  what  they  make  it,  and  that  a  life  upon  earth  is  but 
the  laying  of  the  foundation  of  what  is  to  follow,  in- 
stead of  its  being  impressed  upon  their  minds  that  the 
church  has  the  power  of  conferring  absolution,  life 
will  be  more  practically  serious  here  and,  consequently, 
supply  the  requisite  elements  for  greater  happiness  in 
the  hereafter. 


FART   VII. 

THE  HYSTERY  OF  SLEEP. 

bo  WE  TRAVEL  WHEN  WE  SLEEP? 


THE    MYSTERY    OF    SLEEP. 

(Knit-red  according  to  Act  of  Congreu,  in  the  year  1893,  by  AucuirrA  W.  FLETCBXB,  M.  D., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congreti  at  Washington.) 

•Tie  beautiful  to  leave  the  world  awhile 
For  the  soft  visions  of  the  gentle  night; 

And  free,  at  last,  from  mortal  care  or  guile, 
To  live  as  only  in  the  angels'  sight. 

In  sleep's  sweet  realm  so  cosily  shut  in, 

Where,  at  the  worst,  we  only  dream  of  ein  !— SAXK. 

Sleep  is  nature's  sweet  restorer ;  but  how  it  restores, 
and  what  the  process  is,  may  interest  those  who  con- 
stantly observe  its  action,  yet  never  give  its  occurrence 
more  than  a  passing  thought. 

The  body  is  one  thing  and  the  spirit  another.  The 
body,  without  the  action  of  the  spirit,  would  be  no  more 
intelligent  than  are  the  myriads  of  other  forms  of 
physical  life  that  move  and  breathe  over  the  face  of  the 
earth.  It  has  no  particular  destiny  of  its  own  and, 
without  the  actuating  power  of  the  spirit,  would  prove 
of  no  more  interest  than  a  tree,  a  flower  or  any  other 
chemical  association  of  elements  that  are  held  together 
only  to  serve  a  purpose  beyond  themselves,  and  whose 
character  the  wise  are  not  in  the  least  able  to 
comprehend. 

The  real  man  is  the  spiritual  man,  the  real  self,  the 
spiritual  self.  The  ego  and  the  spirit  are  synonymous, 
and  the  body,  important  as  it  is,  only  becomes  of  im- 
portance when  it  ministers  to  and  is  directed  by  the 
spirit  itself. 


86  THE    MYSTERY   OF   SLEEP. 

The  spirit  can  exist  and  perform  its  work  without  the 
body ;  in  fact,  intelligent  physical  life  is  only  one  phase 
of  the  spiritual  life.  Without  the  spirit  the  body  cannot 
sustain  any  relationship  with  physical  life.  By  partially 
withdrawing  the  spirit,  weakness  and  disease  are  the 
result ;  wholly  withdraw  it  and  death  follows.  That, 
in  turn,  is  succeeded  by  complete  disintegration  of  all 
the  physical  elements.  It  must  be  kept  continually  in 
mind  that  the  body  is  the  negative  factor,  the 
spirit  the  positive,  in  this  scheme  of  human  life,  and 
the  work  that  is  done  is  accomplished,  primarily,  by 
the  spirit,  the  body  being  only  the  instrument  used  to 
assist  in  its  fulfillment.  It  is  the  spirit  that  trains 
the  hand  until  it  fully  obeys  its  mandates  and 
responds  at  once  to  its  inspiration.  The  hand  of  the 
artist  differs  not  from  the  hand  of  any  other  man,  but 
the  spirit  of  the  artist  is  of  far  different  quality.  That 
spirit  within  has  clothed  itself  with  matter  and  immedi- 
ately begins  to  reveal  itself,  through  the  medium  of  the 
flesh,  upon  this  external  plane  of  existence.  The  spirit 
within  perceives  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  life 
without,  and  at  once  begins  to  educate  the  hand  to  re- 
produce it. 

Standing  before  the  silent  canvas,  the  warmth  and 
glow  and  spirit  of  the  Summer  are  gradually  wrought  out, 
until  the  beauty  of  nature  stands  reflected.  There  is 
something  more  than  the  mere  arrangement  of  color  in 
the  creation.  The  artist  must  absolutely  feel  what 
he  is  doing  and  into  it  put  a  part  of  himself.  And 
thus  around  the  works  of  all  true  artists  there  is  a  some- 
thing which  can  never  be  described  and  which  no  copy- 


THE    MYSTERY   OF   SLEEP.  87 

ist,  however  exact,  can  ever  quite  reproduce.  It  is  a 
stamp  of  his  own  spiritual  individuality  which  the  cun- 
ning of  his  hand  has  transferred  to  the  canvas  and, 
thereby,  disconnected  from  himself. 

This  law  runs  through  the  entire  scheme  of  existence  ; 
spirit  acting,  matter  acted  upon.  In  the  phenomenon 
of  life  these  two  are  united,  in  sleep  they  are  partially 
separated  and  in  death  wholly  so.  The  spirit,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  day,  is  full  of  magnetic  force  derived  from 
higher  realms,  from  the  atmosphere  and  surrounding 
earthly  conditions  and,  full  of  enthusiasm,  begins  its 
work.  It  is  more  positive  at  that  time  and  is,  accord- 
ingly, fresher  in  its  activities.  Gradually,  this  diminishes 
until,  at  night,  the  spirit  (not  the  body)  has  exhausted 
its  force  and  strength.  The  atmosphere  no  longer 
presents  elements  that  the  spirit  can  assimilate  with 
itself.  The  magnetism  that  the  body  generates  has 
been  exhausted  and  it  is  forced  to  retire  within  itself. 
Consequently,  it  removes  the  body  from  the  distraction 
of  the  surroundings  of  the  day  and,  in  a  reclining  posi- 
tion, gradually  withdraws  itself  from  its  seat  of  power  in 
order,  through  this  partial  disassociation,  to  gather  up 
from  various  sources  the  elements  required  for  work  on 
the  coming  morrow.  In  what  is  called  health  this  is 
readily  accomplished  and  the  body  is  thrown  into  a  hyp- 
notic state  by  its  own  spirit  and  left  to  rest.  The  spirit 
withdraws  into  one  or  more  of  the  spiritual  states  that 
it  is  responsive  to,  and  lives  the  truest  and  the 
highest  part  of  its  existence  without  the  impediment 
and  incumbrance  of  the  body  itself.  Do  not  under- 
stand us  to  mean  that  the  spirit  is  wholly  disasso- 


88  THE   MYSTERY   OF   SLEEP. 

ciated  from  the  body,  for,  if  that  was  the  case,  death 
would  immediately  ensue.  It  is,  at  such  times,  only 
partially  disconnected,  so  that,  in  unusual  physical 
disturbances  which  would  disarrange  the  magnetic 
waves  that  surround  the  body,  it  would  call  the  spirit 
back  to  its  seat  of  power.  But  all  influences  being 
equal,  and  the  surroundings  harmonious  and  quiet,  the 
spirit  is  able  to  carry  out  its  own  will  and  purposes, 
visit  countries  far  distant,  meet  and  associate  with 
individuals  never  known  in  waking  moments  and,  often- 
times, foreshadow  events  which  the  future  serves  to 
fulfill. 

Dream  life  is  the  ideal  life,  wherein  the  spirit  rises 
far  above  the  petty  contentions  of  the  day  and  time, 
bursts  all  bonds  of  limitation,  and  is  swung  far  out  upon 
that  immeasurable  sea  on  whose  waves  so  many  possi- 
bilities float  which  never  find  realization  in  the  world  of 
things.  But  sleep  does  not  always  come  at  will,  nor . 
when  the  apparent  necessary  conditions  are  made  for  it. 
The  condition  of  the  body  and  the  incomplete  relation- 
ship of  the  spirit  thereto,  sometimes  prevents  the  disas- 
sociation  of  one  from  the  other,  or  makes  that  discon- 
nection so  imperfect  as  to  render  continuous  slumber 
an  impossibility.  In  such  cases,  every  effort  should  be 
put  forth  to  make  the  hours  before  retiring  as  harmoni- 
ous and  peaceful  as  possible.  If  it  is  not  within  one's  self 
to  be  at  peace  with  the  annoyances  of  the  day,  which, 
like  so  many  restless  ghosts,  will  not  be  laid,  then  the  in- 
troduction of  some  other  influence  becomes  a  necessity. 
The  individual  can  do  very  much  for  himself  in 
this  particular  direction.  He  can  make  his  will  posi- 


THE   MYSTERY   OF   SLEEP.  89 

tive  to  all  unpleasant  thoughts,  by  turning  his  mind 
toward  happier  and  sweeter  ones,  and  thus  the  old  idea, 
too  fast  falling  into  disuse,  of  singing  an  evening  hymn 
or  offering  a  soulful  prayer  before  retiring,  furnishes  a  fit 
preparation  for  the  harmonious  slumbers  that  should 
follow. 

The  magnetic  healer  is  able  to  bring  the  body  into 
harmonious  relationship  with  the  indwelling  spirit  and, 
thereby,  enable  the  spirit  to  withdraw  itself  as  it  desires. 
The  sleep  induced  by  this  same  magnetic  influence 
is  the  most  restful  and  pleasurable  known.  Nar- 
cotics and  drugs  are  fast  giving  way  to  it  and,  in  time, 
they  will  be  wholly  discontinued.  The  effect  which 
their  use  induces  is  but  temporary  and,  in  the  end, 
far  from  beneficial. 

If,  for  any  reason,  sleep  is  not,  or  cannot  be,  induced 
it  is  only  a  question  of  a  short  time  when  a  disarrange- 
ment of  the  entire  human  machine  will  follow ;  there 
being  so  much  friction  between  the  spirit  and  the  body, 
that  all  the  reserved  force  is  used  up,  and  it  begins 
to  show  signs  of  wearing  out.  Sleep  is  really  a 
lubricant  for  the  physical  machinery.  If  no  oil  is  put 
on  the  various  parts  of  an  engine,  or  any  other  machine, 
it  becomes  only  a  question  of  a  short  time  as  to  what 
the  result  will  be.  Great  nervous  irritability,  mental 
derangement  and  insanity  are  some  of  the  numerous 
evils  that  follow  in  the  train  of  a  perversion  of  the  law 
of  nature.  The  force  of  the  spirit  must  be  withdrawn 
from  the  body  from  six  to  ten  hours,  at  least,  out  of  the 
twenty-four,  and  we  make  this  statement  uncondition- 
ally, for  we  see  the  importance  of  its  observance. 


90  THE   MYSTERY   OF   SLEEP. 

The  body,  during  the  hours  of  slumber,  is  not  infre- 
quently played  upon  by  the  myriads  of  invisible  influ- 
ences which  pervade  the  atmosphere  appertaining  to 
the  earth,  and  which  the  partial  disassociation  of  the 
individual  spirit  bestows  an  added  power  upon.  Such 
spirits  have  great  power  over  some  individuals,  and 
commit  serious  offences  against  the  welfare  and  health 
of  the  body,  impairing  it,  sometimes,  to  such  a  degree 
as  to  induce  severe  illness  and  distress.  The  somnambule 
is  an  illustration  of  this  law.  A  spirit,  who  is  more  or 
less  in  affinity  with  the  body,  watches  for  its  opportunity 
and, when  the  spirit  which  rightly  belongs  there  is  suf- 
ficiently removed,  it  gradually  insinuates  itself  until  it 
gains  a  positive  control  of  it ;  the  spirit  which  right- 
fully belongs  to  the  body  has  almost  no  power  to 
assert  itself  over  it,  consequently,  this  invader  starts  out, 
unchecked,  upon  its  expedition  of  personal  gratification. 
It  takes  the  body  to  unknown  heights,  or  precipitates 
it  into  destruction,  always  achieving  some  result  which 
would  be  utterly  impossible  in  waking  moments.  Gen- 
erally, these  influences  are  of  a  low  and  designing  order, 
as  their  actions  would  plainly  evidence.  There  are, 
however,  some  exceptions  to  the  rule,  and  we  have 
known  persons  who  have  been  influenced  while  in  sleep 
and  used  for  the  perfection  of  artistic  and  literary  work 
which  was  wholly  beyond  their  working  capacity. 


bo  WE  TRAVEL  WHEN  WE  SLEEP  ? 

(Kntered  according  to  Act  of  Congrew,  in  the  year  1393,  l.y  AUGUSTA  W.  KLKTCUKK,  H.  I)., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington.) 

Assuredly,  and  that  is  where  the  renewed  strength, 
the  fresh  impressions  and  new-born  determinations  are 
found.  Your  spirit,  when  freed  from  its  physical  envi- 
ronments, is  able  to  go  where  it  pleases,  to  see  what  it 
pleases  and,  oftentimes,  to  bring  back  into  waking  mo- 
ments the  result  of  these  experiences  as  a  spirit.  You 
may,  while  the  body  sleeps,  cross  the  ocean,  wander 
through  distant  lands,  look  upon  scenes,  think  thoughts, 
accomplish  results  and  forecast  future  endeavors,  with- 
out having  the  slightest  relationship  exist  between  them 
and  your  waking  moments.  Ten  years  afterward  you 
may,  in  propria  persona,  step  on  board  an  ocean 
steamer,  cross  the  seas  and  visit  these  same  scenes, 
realizing,  all  the  time  that  you  are  there,  a  certain  sense 
of  familiarity,  feeling  that  you  know  the  places,  have  a 
fancied  recognition,  even,  of  some  of  the  people,  and  for 
all  this  you  can  offer  no  clear  explanation.  Your 
spirit  is  simply  recalling  what  it  has  seen  before  and 
mirroring  it  upon  your  external  consciousness. 

The  inventor  is,  perhaps,  the  most  practical  dreamer 
of  all,  for  the  best  inventions  of  the  present  day,  those 
which  have  done  more  to  revolutionize  the  entire 
system  of  labor  and  trade,  have  been  found  in  dream- 
life.  The  electric  light,  whose  brilliancy  is  only 


92  DO   WE   TRAVEL   WHEN   WE   SLEEP  ? 

equaled  by  the  stars  in  the  heavens,  and  the  wonderful 
'telephone,  that  transmits  a  whisper  from  one  State  to 
another,  were  only  the  dreams  of  an  enthusiast,  until 
they  were  actualized  down  to  the  necessities  of  the  age. 

The  truth  is,  all  the  higher  minds  on  earth  move  in  a 
spiritual  sphere  commensurate  with  their  ambitions  and 
desires.  Awake,  they  catch  only  the  reflection  of  those 
spheres  ;  asleep,  they  dwell  within  their  limits.  Every 
picture  that  is  painted,  every  house  that  is  built  and 
every  invention  that  is  made,  has  its  existence,  spirit- 
ually, before  it  lives  in  the  outer  world  of  reality.  Awake, 
the  inventor  finds  himself  reaching  out  for  the  some- 
thing that  is  lacking ;  asleep,  he  is  in  the  realm  of  that 
something  and  is  able  to  fit  it  in  its  respective  place. 

Dreams,  then,  in  the  first  instance,  are  the  experiences 
of  the  spirit  itself ;  but  you  will  say  they  are  not  always 
of  the  high  order  that  you  have  referred  to,  for  they 
present  all  the  varying  lights  and  shadows  of  the  lowest, 
as  well  as  the  highest,  conditions  of  human  life,  unknown 
to  your  waking  moments,  but  induced  and  experienced 
in  sleep.  This  is,  without  doubt,  true  ;  but  for  it  there  is 
ample  explanation.  The  spirit  is  seeing  all  the  phases 
of  life  within,  above  and  below  its  present  form,  and  the 
horrors  that  are  realized  with  so  much  vividness  that 
the  impression  lasts  for  months  are  actual  scenes 
through  which  the  spirit  passes  in  its  journey  through 
the  spiritual  universe. 

If  you  stop,  for  one  moment,  to  consider  the  varying 
conditions  of  physical  life  around  you,  you  will  readily 
realize  that,  if  there  be  a  spiritual  counterpart  for  all  of 
this,  the  spirit  in  visiting  and  viewing  them  will  per- 


DO    WE   TRAVEL    WHEN    WE    SLEEP?  93 

ceive  as  great  a  contrast,  if  not  greater,  than  you  see 
from  the  earthly  standpoint.  Thoughts  and  desires  are 
the  realities  of  the  spiritual  world.  The  spirit  can  send 
a  thought,  freighted  with  either  good  or  ill,  more  readily 
than  you  can  pass  a  book  from  one  hand  to  the  other. 
The  air  is  full  of  the  thoughts  of  men,  and  those  who  are 
sensitive  are  bound  to  catch  the  impressions  as  they  pass 
through  it.  In  the  city,  where  there  are  hurrying 
crowds  of  men,  the  atmosphere  is  bound  to  be  full  of 
their  selfish  and  mercenary  thoughts.  The  church  is 
bound  to  exert  a  heavy,  sombre  influence  which  will  be 
depressing  to  all,  save  those  whose  sublime  egotism  lead 
them  to  use  it  as  a  stepping  stone  to  future  greatness. 
Around  every  cesspool  of  vice  where  crime  and  sin  drag 
themselves  through  the  unholy  hours  of  the  night,  and 
where  selfishness  and  lustful  desires  rule  with  unques- 
tioned sway,  there  are  invisible  influences  of  the  most 
diabolical  and  depressing  character.  The  drunkard,  in 
the  last  throes  of  delirium  tremens,  is  giving  you  no 
imaginary  picture  when  he  turns,  in  horror,  from  the 
vipers  and  reptiles  that  seemingly  assail  him.  Through 
the  excessive  gratification  of  his  desire  for  drink  he  has 
reduced  himself  to  the  plane  where  these  forms  of  life 
exist,  and  they  are  spiritual  verities  to  him.  What 
wonder,  then,  when  the  spirit  starts  out  in  its  nightly 
journey  through  space,  that  it,  in  passing  through  these 
different  gradations  of  spiritual  life,  encounters  all  the 
horrors  that  therein  abound,  plays  a  strange  part  and 
returns,  in  the  waking  moments,  weary  and  depleted. 
How  many  times  have  you  not  said,  "  I  feel  completely 
worn  out  to-day ;  I  had  a  fearful  dream  last  night  ? " 


94  DO   WE   TRAVEL   WHEN   WE   SLEEP? 

Just  the  same  as  in  visiting  the  crime-stricken  portions  of 
your  city,  you  return  home,  feeling  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  enjoy  the  luxuries  you  find  there,  because  of 
the  miseries  you  have  just  seen. 

Whatever  has  been  is.  The  spiritual  world  is  a 
mighty  book  of  remembrance,  upon  whose  pages  every 
passing  event  is  depicted  with  marvelous  accuracy  and 
care.  The  past  and  present  are  as  one,  and  the  battles 
and  the  victories  of  the  other  ages  live  as  if  they  only 
occurred  to-day.  Thus  the  spirit,  in  entering  the 
spiritual  world,  is  able  to  view  these  different  scenes. 
On  waking,  the  individual  is  not  able  to  realize  the  con- 
nection, nor  yet  comprehend  the  import ;  but  what  is 
called  imagination,  which,  in  reality,  has  no  existence,  is 
simply  the  reflection  of  some  spiritual  state  which  the 
sensitive  brain  gets  but  an  imperfect  view  of.  All 
that  is  seen  in  dreams  has  existed  or  is  existing  at  the 
present  time. 

More  care  should  be  taken  of  the  body  during  sleep 
than  at  any  other  time  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  Place 
the  head  of  the  bed  toward  the  east,  in  a  room 
as  far  removed  from  external  influences  and  confusion 
as  possible.  Bear  in  mind  to  pass  an  hour  or  two, 
before  retiring,  under  quiet  and  reassuring  influences. 
Disconnect  yourself  from  every  scene  or  contending 
thought,  put  your  mind  en  rapport  with  some  place, 
theme  or  person  that  may  have  pleasurable  and  en- 
dearing associations  for  you,  and  float  out  upon  the 
sea  of  invisible  and  conscious  life,  gathering  therefrom 
spiritual  strength  with  which  to  meet  the  duties  of 
the  morrow. 


PART  VIII. 
WHAT  15  DEATH  ? 


97 


WHAT  15  DEATH  ? 
15  IT  A  DESTROYER  OR  A  BUILDER  ? 

(Eaiend  according  to  Act  of  Ccogntt,  in  the  y«»r  18S3,  by  AVOCBTA  W.  FLKTCBIB,  M.  D., 

in  the  offlre  of  the  Librarian  of  Congrai  at  Wukingtoo.) 

There  are  two  mighty  currents  that  sweep  over  the 
ocean  of  life,  one  ebbing,  the  other  flowing.  One 
bears  upon  its  bosom  a  little  bark,  full  of  promise,  full 
of  things  to  be,  of  hopes,  joys,  victories  and  defeats ; 
the  other  bears  away  a  life  whose  drama  has  been 
finished,  be  it  long  or  short,  with  all  the  expressed  and 
the  unexpressed  about  it.  And  he  who  stands  look- 
ing on  asks,  of  the  former,  whence,  and  of  the  latter, 
whither.  Life  and  death,  activity  and  inertia,  day  and 
night,  things  begun  and  things  ended,  tears  and  joy 
for  one,  tears  and  sorrow  for  the  other. 

Of  life,  little  is  known  beyond  its  expression  here  on 
the  earth  plane.  It  seems  to  be  its  own  arbiter,  to  a 
great  degree,  evolves  its  own  law  and  inexorably  closes 
the  volume  in  defiance  of  every  earthly  protest  or 
desire.  Philosophers  deal  with  it  only  from  its  earthly 
side,  drawing  conclusions  from  causes  that  the  wisest 
but  dimly  understand.  Theologians  find  in  these  two 
great  events  a  wide  field  for  speculative  thought, 
which,  during  the  past  centuries,  they  have  not  failed 
to  improve.  They  have  devised  a  system  of  creation, 
rewards  and  punishments  to  be  continued  beyond  the 
grave,  which,  although  in  defiance  of  both  reason  and 
common  sense,  has  exerted  a  strange  and  inexplicable 


98  WHAT   IS   DEATH  ? 

influence  over  the  human  mind.  The  world  at  large 
has  an  undefined  sense  that  birth  is  not  the  begin- 
ning nor  death  the  end ;  but  this  is  rather  the  result 
of  a  desire  for  a  continuance  of  life,  than  a  law  subject 
to  demonstration. 

The  fear  of  death  is  due  to  the  lack  of  knowledge  as 
to  what  it  really  is.  The  sense  of  some  awful  doom 
which  eternity  holds,  like  the  sword  of  Damocles,  sus- 
pended over  the  head  of  each  offender  and  which,  on 
the  day  of  judgment,  will  fall,  producing  never-ending 
pain,  makes  the  strong  man  tremble,  in  fear  and  terror, 
on  the  portals  of  that  great  mystery  through  which  the 
piercing  eye  of  science  has  not  been  able  to  penetrate. 
The  worst  penalty  that  can  be  inflicted  by  governments 
against  those  who  break  important  laws  is  death,  even 
while  the  same  judge  who  pronounces  the  death  sen- 
tence, reads  from  the  bible,  "  Thou  shalt  not  kill." 
Could  some  hand  but  raise  the  curtain  that  separates 
the  known  from  the  unknown,  the  earthly  from  the 
spiritual,  and  bring  man  face  to  face  with  that  which 
follows  death,  he  would  render  unto  this  age,  and  all 
subsequent  ages,  such  a  boon  as  has  never  before  been 
vouchsafed  to  the  world.  Could  some  voice,  from  be- 
yond the  veil,  break  the  long  eternities  of  silence  and 
project  a  message  of  courage  and  hope  to  those  who, 
with  faltering  steps,  are  following  after  him,  his  name 
would  sound  in  songs  of  praise  for  all  time.  And  yet, 
the  purpose  of  life,  or,  at  least,  one  of  the  purposes,  is  to 
solve  the  mystery  that  everywhere  surrounds  it.  To 
lay  aside  superstition  and  ignorance,  which,  oftentimes, 
forms  the  major  part  of  man's  life,  and  study  this 


WHAT    IS    DEATH  ?  99 

subject  quietly  and  dispassionately,  following  wherever 
the  highest  conclusions  will  lead,  whether  to  the  foot 
of  the  altar,  upon  which  every  form  of  sacrifice  has 
been  made,  or  into  the  field  of  blank  materialism,  where 
hope  and  aspiration  sink,  like  so  many  stars,  never  to 
rise  again. 

Let  us  consider  the  subject  from  the  standpoint  of 
nature.  In  so-called  inanimate  life,  the  same  law  applies 
as  to  life  in  its  more  advanced  stages.  The  flowers, 
trees  and  animals  possess  an  internal  impulse  which  is 
as  faithful  to  the  fulfilling  of  the  purpose  as  is  the  spirit 
of  man  to  the  outworking  of  its  destiny.  These  forms 
of  life,  classified,  as  they  are,  by  a  superior  intelligence, 
presumably  select  their  own  conditions,  attract  and  as- 
similate the  elements  they  require  from  the  soil  and  the 
atmosphere,  and  go  on  their  way  outworking  a  result 
which  never  varies  from  the  original  intention.  In  the 
course  of  time  we  die  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  magnet  of 
life,  whatever  it  may  be,  no  longer  attracts  elements 
to  itself,  and  at  the  point  where  this  attraction  ceases 
disorganization  and  disintegration  begin.  But  follow- 
ing out  the  action  of  these  two  laws,  so  similar  in  their 
character,  you  will  not  find  that  they  are  destroying  a 
single  element ;  but,  instead,  are  preparing  the  old 
elements  to  take  on  another  form  of  expression,  which 
shall  be,  to  them,  a  round  higher  in  the  ladder  of  life. 

Death,  then,  has  taken  nothing  from  the  laboratory  of 
nature ;  it  simply  takes  up  the  elements  that  life  has 
left,  and  arranges  for  another  form  of  life.  Thus  her 
resources  are  never  exhausted.  The  equipoise  is  always 
maintained,  the  supply  is  equal  to  the  demand,  and 


100  WHAT   IS   DEATH  ? 

nothing  is  either  lost  or  gained  in  the  world  of  material, 
during  all  the  cycles  of  time.  The  wisest  man  in  the 
world  has  not  the  power  of  destroying  a  single  ele- 
ment, but  may  change  its  form  and  displace  the  ar- 
rangement ;  for  what  is  is,  has  been  and  always  will  be. 
I  hold  in  my  hand  a  piece  of  wood ;  the  elements 
constituting  the  wood  are  held  in  bondage  and  have  not 
the  power  of  acting  independently  of  each  other.  I 
cast  the  bit  of  wood  into  the  flame  and  watch  it  being 
slowly  consumed  thereby.  When  this  process  is  com- 
pleted, have  I  destroyed  the  wood  ?  As  a  piece  of 
wood,  yes  ;  but  the  elements  that  constituted  it,  and  were 
enslaved,  are  set  free  by  the  action  of  combustion, 
and  they  start  out  on  a  higher  career  than  that  which 
marked  their  former  existence.  Destroyed  ?  No. 
Changed,  uplifted,  set  free  ?  Yes.  From  this  example, 
it  will  be  seen  that,  through  the  law  of  evolution,  death 
becomes  a  stepping-stone  of  life,  and  that  throughout 
all  the  physical  universe  these  great  processes  have 
enabled  this  and  all  other  planets  to  arrive  at  their 
present  state  of  development,  and  will  be  the  power 
whereby  still  mightier  results  shall  be  obtained. 
The  ordinary  mind  will  not  grasp  easily,  or  accept 
readily,  the  law  of  evolution.  Darwin,  Huxley,  Tyn- 
dall,  and  Spencer  are  all  personalities  which  the  un- 
thinking fear ;  whose  hands  have,  with  the  wand  of 
truth,  during  the  present  century,  destroyed  so  many 
idols  and  temples.  These  men,  great  and  wise  as  they 
are,  and  in  whose  praise  too  much  cannot  be  said,  have 
only  taken  one  side  of  the  subject.  They  have  reasoned 
logically  as  far  as  they  have  gone,  but  have  not  com- 


WHAT    IS    DEATH  ?  IOI 

pleted  the  journey.  They  have  all  led  up  to  human 
life  ;  they  have  begun  from  the  lowest  point,  have 
journeyed  far  and  wide,  until  they  reached  man,  and 
then  stopped.  That  science  that  can  read  the  story  of 
the  stars,  the  history  of  the  planet  upon  which  you 
stand,  analyze  the  drop  of  water,  aye,  the  very  air  you 
breathe,  stands  before  the  open  grave  with  closed  eyes 
and  sealed  lips,  without  the  ability  to  take  one  single 
step  over  its  threshold  into  the  future.  But  science,  in 
the  age  that  is  to  come,  must  cross  this  threshold  and 
penetrate  into  the  depths  of  the  life  beyond,  so  that 
the  spiritual  world  shall  be  as  logically  understood  as 
are  the  more  material  planets  that  make  up  the  system. 
Mankind,  to-day,  is  looking  toward  science  to  solve 
the  problem  which,  in  earlier  days,  was  relegated  to 
ecclesiastical  judges.  Even  the  church,  after  preach- 
ing immortality  for  centuries  and  assuming  that  man 
never  dies,  is  endeavoring  to  find  proof  of  its  assertion 
entirely  outside  its  own  province.  Science  can,  when 
it  recognizes  the  spiritual  side  of  life,  easily  accomplish 
this  great  purpose  for  the  world,  by  remembering  that 
the  spirit  is  first,  that  matter  is  only  a  means  of  its 
expression,  that  this  planet,  this  material  world,  is  but 
the  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  spiritual  world  ;  that 
every  blade  of  grass,  every  singing  bird,  and  every 
human  being,  is  but  an  expression  of  the  same  forces, 
differing  in  degree  of  enfoldment,  but,  through  the 
action  of  the  law  of  evolution,  forever  creeping  along 
the  pathway  of  progress  to  the  ultimate,  which  is  but 
the  turning-point  of  a  newer  and  greater  destiny. 
In  man,  we  find  the  realization  of  matter  and  spirit. 


IO2  WHAT   IS   DEATH  ? 

Without  spirit,  matter  is  expressionless  and  void  ;  with 
spirit,  it  takes  its  place  among  the  mighty  realities 
of  the  world,  guiding,  shaping  and  influencing  the 
destiny  of  all  things  and  all  persons  that  are  responsive 
to  it. 

During  the  younger  years  of  life,  the  spirit  is  gaining 
possession  of  its  machine  ;  during  the  latter  years,  they 
work  in  harmony  with  each  other,  and  the  best  work 
of  life  is  accomplished  between  the  years  of  twenty-five 
and  fifty.  In  that  time,  in  most  cases,  the  spirit  has 
become  responsive  to  higher  attractions  than  the  earth 
offers,  and  the  subsequent  years,  be  they  few  or  many, 
are  passed  in  the  effort  of  the  spirit  to  gradually  relieve 
itself  from  physical  environments,  so  as  to  take  on  the 
higher  spiritual  ones,  for  which  the  experiences  of  life 
have  finally  fitted  it,  and  when  death  comes  it  is 
simply  the  completion  of  a  process  which  has  been 
going  on  for  a  long  time. 

Sudden  illnesses,  as  they  are  called,  are  mistaken  in- 
terpretations of  physical  conditions.  What  appears  to 
be  sudden  illness  is  the  result  of  a  condition  through 
which  the  body  has  been  passing  and,  at  a  given  point, 
the  elements  of  disease  reveal  themselves,  although  they 
were  lurking  in  the  system  all  the  time.  The  healthy 
man  is  one  whose  body  is  entirely  under  the  magnetic 
control  of  his  spirit.  If  this  control  can  always  be  sus- 
tained he  will  remain  so  until  the  end.  Wherever  the 
spirit  loses  its  hold  over  physical  elements,  there  the 
power  of  disease  or  disintegration  begins.  If  the  spirit 
be  conscious  of  this  in  time,  it  will  be  able  to  assume 
its  old  control  and  expel  the  offender ;  but  if  not,  then 


WHAT    IS    DEATH  ?  103 

the  power  creeps  on,  gains  the  ascendency,  and  death 
ensues.  Which  means  that  the  spirit  no  longer  inhabits 
the  tenement  of  clay,  for  the  old  relationship  and  con- 
nections have  ceased  to  exist,  and  that  the  body,  like 
the  billet  of  wood,  has  been  tossed  into  the  flame,  in 
order  to  free  the  elements  which  are  therein  contained, 
and  give  them  an  opportunity  to  take  on  new  forms  of 
life ;  while  the  spirit,  freed  from  earthly  conditions,  by 
a  law  of  spiritual  gravitation,  at  once  enters  in  upon 
that  state  which  its  development  entitles  it  to. 

Yesterday,  my  friend  was  alive  and  well ;  we  journeyed 
together  in  pleasant  converse,  and  he  seemed  to  be  in 
accord  with  all  the  surroundings.  To-day,  I  stand  be- 
side him,  I  take  his  hand  in  mine,  I  speak  to  him, 
I  call  him  by  old-time  names,  and  conjure  up  many 
pleasant  memories  of  happy  days  gone  by.  But  he 
answers  me  not ;  the  eyes  are  closed  and  the  lips  are 
sealed  ;  he  is  the  same  and  not  the  same.  And  wherein 
is  the  difference  ?  Yesterday,  it  was  the  body  of  my 
friend  acted  upon  by  the  spirit  that  dwelt  within ;  to- 
day, the  lifeless  thing  before  me  is  the  body  of  the  same 
man,  but  that  which  made  it  dear  and  gave  it  intelli- 
gence has  passed  out  of  relationship  and,  in  a  higher 
sphere,  has  taken  upon  itself  new  duties,  new  obli- 
gations and  new  purposes. 

Have  you  ever  watched  the  process  of  a  spirit  pass- 
ing from  this  world  to  the  world  of  light  ?  Have  you 
ever  seen,  as  the  sands  of  the  hour-glass  ru'n  low,  the 
transmission  of  life  from  the  earthly  to  the  spiritual 
plane  ?  The  dying  man  lies  upon  a  bed  of  illness ; 
already  the  glassy  eyes,  the  worn  features  and  the 


IO4  WHAT    IS    DEATH  ? 

heavy  breath  betray  the  presence  of  that  great  change 
through  whose  power  of  disintegration  all  earthly  beings 
are  leveled.  Anxious  friends  and  loving  hearts  look  on 
with  tender  sympathy,  witnessing  the  action  of  a  law 
which  they  are  unable  to  understand.  Just  above  the 
heart  of  the  sufferer  a  faint  light  is  seen.  Gradually 
it  extends  upward  toward  the  head,  and  downward  to- 
ward the  feet,  connected  to  the  physical  body  by 
numerous  lines  of  light.  As  the  patient  grows  weaker 
this  object  becomes  more  distinct.  Soon  the  individ- 
uality is  more  in  the  spiritual  than  the  material  world, 
and  the  human  lips  will  murmur  of  those  who  lived  in 
the  past  and  were  loved  by  him,  declaring  that  they 
are  present  and  that  they  have  come  to  take  him  away. 
And  so  the  sands  of  life  flow  on  and,  at  last,  the  weary 
eyes  are  closed  with  the  slumber  that  knows  no  waking, 
and  the  indwelling  spirit  has  left  its  earthly  habitation 
and  passed  into  that  more  ethereal  body  which  has  been 
building  itself  through  all  the  years  of  life.  And  then 
this  spirit  will  pass  on  through  the  various  phases  of 
spiritual  development,  with  which  this  article  has 
nothing  to  do  beyond  indicating,  but  which,  to  the 
spiritual  student,  whose  eyes  are  strong  enough  to  view 
it,  is  revealed  a  grandeur  of  which  the  earthly  mind  has 
never  yet  received  an  intimation. 

Death  is  the  stepping-stone  to  the  higher  life,  is  the 
dropping  of  a  physical  covering  to  take  on  a  more 
refined  one,  is  the  leaving  of  the  narrow,  limitations  of 
earth  for  the  wider  fields  of  action  in  other  realms,  is 
the  loss  of  nothing  that  is  good,  is  the  ability  to  ever 
conquer  and  overcome  that  which  is  bad,  is  an  open 


WHAT    IS    DEATH  ?  10$ 

door  through  which  the  spirit  passes,  with  hurrying 
steps,  to  find  the  treasures  earth  had  not  the  power  to 
keep,  is  a  land  in  which  a  just  realization  of  all  things 
can  be  seen,  where  motives  stand  superior  to  results, 
and  where  the  ideal  becomes,  in  time,  the  real. 

After  death  there  is  no  punishment  but  that  which 
comes  as  the  inevitable  result  of  life's  laws  perverted. 
Wrongs  done  and  evils  enacted  are  followed  by  conse- 
quences as  inevitable  as  is  the  mantle  of  God's  glory 
that  falls  around  each  life  that  has  devoted  its  endeav- 
ors to  noble  living.  But,  however  dark  the  sphere  in 
which  the  spirit  finds  itself,  the  beckoning  hand  of 
angels  will  gradually  call  it  from  darkness  into  the  light. 

There  are  two  objects  in  life  which  have  more  to  do 
with  moulding  the  future  destiny  of  man  than  would 
seem,  at  first,  to  be  apparent.  One,  consists  in  develop- 
ing the  resources  of  the  external  life,  to  which  all  the 
energies  are  bent  and  the  higher  ambition  sacrificed, 
the  other,  relates  to  the  development  of  the  interior 
spiritual  man,  the  building  up  of  the  temple  within, 
and  the  unfolding  of  the  aspirations  of  the  spirit.  The 
latter,  in  fact,  being  the  only  real  life,  before  which  the 
transitory  things  of  earth  fade  like  the  mist  before 
the  glory  of  the  rising  sun.  These  two  traits,  as  they 
might  be  called,  are  really  opposed  to  each  other;  they 
rarely  walk  hand  in  hand  together,  and  where  one  is, 
the  other  is  not.  The  first  relates  wholly  to  this 
world  ;  the  second  to  this  world,  it  is  true,  but  has  its 
continuation  in  all  worlds  and  higher  forms  of  life. 

You  see  men  every  day  working,  striving  and  crucify- 
ing the  higher  self,  for  the  purpose  of  building  up  a 


106  WHAT    IS    DEATH  ? 

certain  temporary,  material  power  and  fearing  the  hand 
of  poverty,  knowing  the  strength  that  wealth  gives ; 
no  task  is  too  severe  for  them  to  undertake  to  place 
them  well  before  their  fellows.  Thus,  with  this  object 
in  view,  life  becomes,  with  the  one,  a  constant  endeavor 
to  accumulate  money  and,  during  all  the  years  that 
follow,  this  thought  is  held  to  with  wonderful  tenacity. 
Love,  sympathy  and  every  sweet  association  and,  in 
fact,  the  entire  sentimental  side  of  life,  are  looked 
upon  as  the  pretty  things  which  the  practical  mind  has 
no  time  to  indulge  in.  They  are  too  expensive,  not 
that  they  cost  much,  but  they  take  up  time  that  might, 
otherwise,  be  devoted  to  different  purposes.  And  so 
the  nature  becomes  hard,  stolid,  unsympathetic  and 
embittered,  until,  in  fact,  when  the  object  of  life  is,  to  a 
great  measure,  realized,  the  power  to  enjoy  it  has 
become  weakened,  if  not  altogether  lost.  If  you  look 
out  into  the  busy  street  in  the  morning  you  will  see 
crowds  of  men  hurrying  along,  apparently  indifferent  to 
-  each  other,  their  faces  hard  and  set,  their  eyes  dulled 
to  every  influence  that  may  be  pleasing  or  beautiful 
around  them,  and  the  whole  strength  of  their  being 
concentrated  upon  the  accomplishment  of  some  purely 
material  result.  They  jostle  each  other  in  the  market- 
places, they  tear  each  other  down  that  they  may  build 
themselves  up  and  their  days  become  one  long,  weary 
struggle  to  outrun  their  fellows  in  the  race  for  wealth. 
Ask  any  of  these,  "  For  what  are  you  working  ?"  and  he 
will  reply,  "  Oh,  I  am  working  to  accomplish  a  result, 
and  when  that  is  done  I  shall  be  happy."  But  no 
sooner  is  the  amount  accumulated,  which  in  the  begin- 


WHAT   IS   DEATH  .'  IO/ 

ning  seemed  to  contain  the  realization  of  all  his 
dreams,  than  a  still  greater  sum  suggests  itself.  In  fact, 
the  happiness  of  the  miser  can  be  said  to  lie  in  the  next 
bag  of  gold  which  he  has  not  obtained,  and  the  next 
and  so  on,  it  always  being  just  beyond  his  reach. 

Death  comes  to  such  a  man,  as  it  does  to  every  other, 
in  time,  and  he  enters  into  the  spiritual  world.  The 
only  thing  he  was  possessed  of  belonged  to  the  mate- 
rial world.  Concerning  the  passage  of  such  an  one  into 
the  other  life,  the  commentator  wrote  wisely,  when  he 
said,  "he  has  left  all  he  had,"  since  the  currency  of 
eternity  is  neither  gold  nor  silver.  This  spirit  who  may 
have  been,  when  on  earth,  high  in  office  and  respected 
of  men,  finds  himself  gravitating  to  the  point  where  he 
absolutely  belongs  and,  having  no  spiritual  attainments, 
he  is  still  in  the  thought  of  the  great  object  of  his  life. 

We  have  in  mind  a  man,  like  unto  the  above,  who 
came  to  the  spiritual  world  having  lived  an  earthly 
career  full  of  prosperity  and  success.  Gold  had  been  his 
God  ;  he  had  struggled  for  it  by  day  and  dreamed  of  it 
at  night ;  it  was,  in  fact,  all  he  knew,  and  all  he  wished 
or  cared  for.  His  one  regret,  on  leaving  the  earth,  was 
that  he  must  drop  a  great  financial  scheme  out  of  which 
millions  might  have  been  made.  But  all  the  wealth  of 
the  Indies,  the  wisdom  of  medical  science,  and  the 
prayers  said  for  him,  were  not  able  to  buy  a  single 
moment  of  time.  He  awoke  to  find  himself  in  a 
large  cave  lined  throughout  with  gold  ;  under  his  feet, 
over  his  head,  wherever  he  turned,  he  saw  himself 
reflected  in  the  shining  metal,  that  to  him  had  always 
been  so  valuable.  It  was  gold,  hard  and  unyielding. 


108  WHAT   IS   DEATH  ? 

Through  an  opening  in  the  side  he  could  see  the  sun 
shining  and  hear  the  distant  murmur  of  happy  voices. 
Formerly  this  had  meant  nothing  to  him,  but  now 
they  sounded  very  pleasant  to  his  ear.  Looking 
again,  he  beheld  the  faces  dear  to  him  in  earlier 
days ;  father,  mother,  wife  and  children,  all  in  sweet 
accord,  whispering  his  name  and  calling  him  to  them. 
He  turned  to  go,  but  as  he  sought  to  take  the  first 
step  a  bar  of  gold  blocked  the  way  and  an  angel 
stood  beside  him  saying,  "thou  must  conquer  the  am- 
bitions of  earth  before  thou  canst  realize  the  joys  of 
heaven.  When  thou  hast  grown  to  see  that  material 
things  are  only  valuable  when  they  serve  a  spiritual 
purpose,  then  shalt  thou  find  greater  joy  in  love  and 
peace  than  all  the  wealth  that  the  world  can  give." 
And  so  he  struggled  on  until  human  selfishness  was 
conquered,  and  the  spirit  of  greed  eliminated. 

Another  man  living  in  the  world,  moving  in  the  same 
surroundings,  and  breathing  the  same  air,  might  be  able 
to  see  the  hollowness  of  all  earthly  things,  and  value  a 
good  character  above  great  wealth.  Honor,  truth,  love 
and  justice  will  then  be  more  than  words  to  him,  and 
he  will  place  that  high  value  upon  himself  that,  in- 
stead of  fearing,  by  any  act,  that  he  will  lose  the  re- 
spect of  the  world,  he  will  strive  for  something  infinitely 
greater,  his  own  self-respect.  Such  an  one  will  give 
courage  to  the  faint-hearted,  will  strengthen  the  weak, 
comfort  the  sorrowing  and,  in  passing  into  the  other 
world,  will  be  able  to  carry  with  him  the  results  of  a  life 
well  lived,  which  will  be  to  his  soul  what  wings  are  to  the 
bird,  ever  lifting  it  into  the  clearer  air  and  a  broader  view. 


WHAT    IS    DEATH  ?  109 

A  wise  man,  holding  a  child  by  the  hand,  is  walking 
through  the  town.  The  child  looks  toward  a  great 
mansion  where  a  rich  man  lives. 

"  Whose  house  is  that,  father  ?"  asks  the  boy. 

"  It  is  the  house  of  a  rich  man,  and  a  man  who,  rising 
from  a  condition  of  the  direst  poverty,  has  made  him- 
self feared  by  those  less  fortunate." 

The  child  pointed  to  another  building  where  the 
poor  are  fed  and  the  sick  cared  for,  asking  again : 

"  Whose  house  is  that  ?" 

"  That  is  a  house,  my  child,  that  a  good  man  built  by 
the  help  of  every  good  man,  as  a  place  of  refuge  for 
the  unfortunate  and  suffering  children  of  earth." 

"  Can  every  one  be  rich  ?"  repeated  the  child,  inquir- 
ingly. 

"  No,"  replied  the  wise  man,  thoughtfully.  "  No, 
every  man  cannot  be  great  and  rich  and  powerful, 
but  every  man  can  be  good  and  true  if  he  wishes." 

"  And  which  is  it  better  to  be  ?"  repeated  the  child. 

"  The  world  will  some  day  ask  that  question  most 
seriously.  Greatness  born  of  things  lives,  dies  and  is 
forgotten  in  the  world  of  things ;  but  goodness  is  the 
invisible  witness,  heaven-sent,  which  speaks  to  the  heart 
of  man  and  lives  throughout  eternity  at  oneness  with 
God  himself,"  answered  the  old  man. 

And  so  they  moved  on  their  appointed  way,  but  the 
great  truth  spoken  has  echoed  through  the  world  ever 
since. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  life  is  more  than  the 
raiment;  that  the  hereafter  depends  upon  the  HERE, 
and  that  death,  instead  of  being  the  end  of  anything, 


1 10  WHAT   IS   DEATH  ? 

is  but  the  continuance  of  all  things.  The  purpose  of 
the  church  has  been  to  prepare  man  for  death  ;  works 
counted  for  little,  faith  in  the  creed  for  much.  "  Repent, 
for  to-morrow  ye  die,"  has  been  sounded  through  the 
past  centuries  by  every  ecclesiastical  teacher  extant. 
Repent  of  evil,  since  repentance  is  both  wise  and  good, 
not  because  death  comes  to-morrow,  but  rather  because 
the  spirit  yearns  to  break  away  from  the  shackles 
of  wrong-doing  and  wrong-thinking,  wherever  they 
may  be. 

We  hold  that  no  man  is  fit  to  die  until  he  has  really 
learned  how  to  live,  for  when  death  comes  it  is  to  take 
you  from  the  Winter  land  to  the  Summer  land.  It 
comes  not  to  destroy  that  which  is,  but  to  construct 
and  build  something  grander  than  that  which  has  been, 
to  help  you  to  see  the  mistakes  of  life  and  bring  the 
desire  to  conquer  and  overcome  them,  to  show  you 
how,  through  its  devious  ways,  the  guiding  power  of 
wisdom  was  directing  your  footsteps  and  revealing  the 
purpose  of  every  dark  and  sad  experience,  which,  like 
so  many  stepping-stones,  have  served  to  carry  you  for- 
ward, to  reveal  to  you  the  never-ending  eternity  that 
stretches  onward  from  one  height  to  another,  and 
allures  you  by  the  charm  of  a  greater  nobility  and 
power.  Death  is  not  the  enemy  of  man,  it  is  his 
best  friend.  Death  is  the  kindly  frost  that  cracks  the 
shell  and  leaves  the  kernel  room  to  germinate. 


FART   IX. 

MODERN  5FiRiruALi5M. 


MODERN  SPIRITUALISM. 

(Entered  «ccording  to  Act  ff  Congrers.  in  the  year  H»3.  ly  AUGUST*  W.  FLETCHEK,  If.  D., 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congrea  at  Waihington.) 


This  is  a  subject  which  we  approach  with  consider- 
able diffidence,  since  it  has  been  so  imperfectly  under- 
stood and  subjected  to  the  foolish  criticisms  of  those 
who  comprehend,  not  at  all,  its  far-reaching  and  com- 
prehensive philosophy.  That  there  have  been  many 
devotees  of  spiritualism  who  have  held  extraordinary 
ideas,  and  who  have  been  most  persistent  in  announcing 
them,  is  true,  and  that  there  has  been  but  an  imperfect 
statement  of  its  real  principles  is  likewise  a  fact.  But 
this  is  due  to  various  causes,  which  any  intelligent  mind 
will  readily  see  and  admit.  However,  this  should  have 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  justness  of  its  claims 
impartially  and  consistently  stated.  That  individuals 
have  erred  from  the  path  of  right — gone  wrong,  as  the 
world  says — does  not  at  all  affect  the  validity  of  the 
claim,  that  modern  spiritualism  is  the  religion  of  all 
religions  with  something  added  to  it.  Without  enter- 
ing into  the  vast  array  of  objections  and  arguments 
which  have  grown  up  on  every  hand,  we  shall  state,  in 
as  few  words  as  possible,  what  spiritualism  is. 

The  universe  is  an  expression  of  the  divine  mind,  and 
the  best  that  could  be  made  under  the  existing  con- 
ditions. Every  human  being  is  an  emanation  of  the 
divine,  outworking  its  purpose  in  the  spaces  above  and 


H4  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM. 

below  the  earth,  and  all  the  powers  of  life  writhin  the 
earth  are  pervaded  by  the  unseen  influence  of  this  divine 
presence.  There  is,  consequently,  no  division  of  su- 
premacy, no  power  of  evil ;  but  each  human  being  is 
possessed  of  the  lesser  good  to  be  overcome  by  the 
greater. 

Every  soul  is  an  entity  in  itself,  responsive  to  the 
centre  of  life.  Life  itself,  in  the  eternal,  being  but 
a  series  of  experiences  through  which  the  soul  passes,  in 
its  connection  with  matter,  for  the  rounding  out  and 
the  completion  of  the  spirit,  which  is  the  soul's  expres- 
sion through  matter.  What  appear  to  be  lower  forms 
of  life  in  the  human,  are  really  newer  forms  of  life  ;  that 
is  to  say,  the  advanced  spirit  differs  only  from  the 
unadvanced,  inasmuch  as,  in  the  first  case,  the  possibil- 
ities .have  been  developed  through  earthly  experiences 
and,  in  the  second,  are  awaiting  such  development. 
The  more  that  man  accomplishes  in  any  one  physical 
existence,  the  further  he  is  removed  from  the  necessity 
of  physical  life ;  but  he  must  grow  spiritual  within 
himself,  and  can  never  receive  any  direct  outside  help, 
save  that  which  will  show  him  how  he  can,  by  his  own 
individual  efforts,  attain  the  desired  end,  which  is  the 
overcoming  of  self,  the  unfolding  of  the  individual,  and 
the  upbuilding  of  that  moral  structure  which  enables 
the  intelligent  man  to  penetrate,  by  the  clear  eye  of  the 
spirit,  the  dross  of  external  life  and  perceive  the  work 
which  underlies  it  and  which,  ultimately,  will  result  in 
universal  good. 

In  place,  then,  of  vicarious  atonement,  either  in  this 
world  or  the  next,  man  is  thrown  upon  his  own  individ- 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM.  115 

ual  responsibility,  and  is  made  to  feel  that  whatever 
salvation  he  gets,  either  in  this  or  other  worlds,  is  de- 
pendent upon  his  daily  life. 

"What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?"  cries  the  frightened 
sinner. 

"  Believe  in  Jesus  and  our  creed,"  replies  the  church. 

"  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  asks  the  intelligent 
man. 

"  Do  as  near  right  as  you  can,  and  salvation  is  yours," 
replies  spiritualism. 

In  fact,  it  is  the  reversal  of  the  whole  scheme.  The 
church  insists  upon  faith,  and  spiritualism  insists  upon 
life  and  right  living,  holding  that  any  man  who  has 
done  his  best  to  live  uprightly  has  redeemed  himself 
from  sin  every  time  that  he  has  resisted  sin ;  and  that 
when  he  has  allowed  himself  to  depart  from  the  paths 
of  right,  he  has  simply  placed  a  barrier  between  himself 
and  the  happiness  that  right  doing  is  bound  to  bring. 
All  this  relates  as  much  to  the  present  as  to  the  future, 
for  the  religion  that  does  not  deal  with  man's  present 
need  surely  presents  a  doubtful  possibility  of  satisfying 
his  future  necessity. 

The  material  universe  exists  quite  as  much  as  a  part 
of  the  divine  plan  as  does  the  spiritual,  and  instead 
of  modern  science  being  the  enemy  of  true  religion  it 
is  its  firmest  and  best  friend.  He  who  discovers  a 
law  in  nature,  and  gives  it  to  the  world,  can  justly  be 
called  a  divinely  appointed  man,  whether  he  belong  to 
the  church  or  not. 

The  laws  of  gravitation,  the  laws  of  attraction  and  re- 
pulsion, and  the  law  of  chemical  affinity,  are  all  a  part 


Il6  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM. 

of  God's  laws,  and  nature,  by  its  action,  is  simply  reveal- 
ing them  to  the  intelligent  mind.  The  idea  of  condemnr 
ing  a  man  to  prison  because  he  discovered  that  the  earth 
revolved  around  the  sun  should  be  justly  followed  by 
imprisoning  the  God  who  made  it  to  do  so.  The 
evolution  of  matter  from  one  stage  to  another  is  only 
the  process  by  which  the  infinite  mind  outworks  its 
purpose. . 

Science  goes  back  to  the  time  when  worlds  were 
gathered  together  in  one  seething  mass  gyrating  in 
space  and,  in  the  process  of  time,  shows  how  they  were 
thrown  off  and  built  up.  Science,  again,  marks  different 
epochs  through  which  this  planet  has  passed  until  it 
has  reached  its  present  stage  of  physical  development. 
Theologians  talk  of  the  creation  of  the  world  out  of 
nothing  six  thousand  years  ago,  and  modern  science 
proves,  from  the  world  itself,  that  it  has  always  been 
in  existence,  and  takes  you  back  in  its  history  twelve 
thousand,  and  even  twenty  thousand  years.  So  much 
the  better  for  science,  and  so  much  the  worse  for  theol- 
ogy. That  science  has  not  yet  found  an  individualized 
spirit  in  man  does  not  argue  that  it  will  not,  nor 
prevent  all  that  which  it  has  demonstrated  in  the 
realms  of  natural  science  from  becoming  a  part  of, 
and  an  important  factor  in,  the  building  up  of  a  com- 
prehensive philosophy  which  shall  take  in  all  the  various 
branches  of  knowledge,  and  strengthen,  rather  than 
weaken,  man's  understanding  of,  and  reverence  for, 
the  deity  and  his  attributes.  Then  we  shall  no  longer 
have  trials  for  heresy,  or  the  arraignment  of  one 
opinion  against  another.  Each  will  strive  to  attain 


DO   SPIRITUALISTS   BELIEVE   IN   GOD?  1 1/ 

unto  the  heights  beyond,  and  will  be  too  much  occu- 
pied in  the  pursuit  of  truth,  to  quarrel  with  the  other. 
Demonstrations  of  all  claims  made,  will  be  as  much 
demanded  within,  as  they  are  now  sought  for  with- 
out, the  domain  of  religion.  Nor  will  the  religion  of  the 
future  be  relegated  to  a  sphere  essentially  apart  from 
all  earthly  interests ;  it  will  be,  instead,  the  silver  thread 
running  through  all  forms  of  truth  and  holding  them 
together  in  one  continuous  chain  which,  beginning  with 
God,  loses  itself  only  in  the  vast  realms  of  eternity. 

Spiritualism  holds  that  the  world  is  the  body  of  God 
and  that  the  life  is  the  soul  of  God,  and  wherein  it  fails 
to  comprehend  it  hesitates  to  condemn. 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  GOD  ? 

In  the  universal  God,  yes ;  in  the  theological  inter- 
pretation, no ;  as  the  orthodox  God,  no.  Every  man 
makes  a  God  about  as  large  as  he  is  himself ;  when  you 
know  him  you  will  know  the  God  he  believes  in.  The 
more  cruel  the  nature  and  ignorant  the  mind,  the  more 
revengeful  the  God ;  the  more  liberal  the  mind  and 
loving  the  heart,  the  more  beneficent  the  God. 

Spiritualists  believe  in  no  direct  action  or  interven- 
tion of  the  divine  mind,  against  or  contrary  to  his  divine 
law,  and,  therefore,  advisory  prayers, 'such  as  asking  for 
rain,  fair  weather  and  bountiful  crops,  are  foolish  and 
inconsistent. 

Anger  is  a  human  but  not  a  divine  attribute,  and 
God,  through  the  law  of  compensation,  confers  upon 
each  human  being  whatsoever  is  his,  regardless  of  the 


1 1 8       DO  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  THE  BIBLE  ? 

religious  beliefs  or  mental  attitude  of  that  individual. 
The  idea  of  reconciling  God  to  man,  and  making  an 
investment  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  church 
which  will  pay  a  good  return  in  time  and  eternity,  is 
inconsistent  with  all  that  is  thus  far  known  of  the  action 
of  spiritual  law.  The  effort  being  to  reconcile  the 
lower  man  to  the  higher  man  and  bring  all  the  warring 
material  elements  into  accord  with  the  action  of  the  su- 
perior self. 

The  orthodox  God,  so  it  is  said,  ordered  men  and 
women  to  be  burned  alive,  massacres  of  all  kinds, 
and  the  final  condemnation  of  the  majority  of  the 
human  race  to  eternal  punishment.  The  spiritualist's 
God  is  a  supreme  presence  whereby  all  things  ulti- 
mately work  together  for  good,  and  what  the  highest 
has  attained  is  held  in  possibility  by  the  lowest. 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  THE  BIBLE  ? 

As  the  word  of  the  supreme  spirit,  no.  But  it  is 
such  a  compendium  of  ideas  as  would  be  expected  to 
emanate  from  the  orthodox  Jehovah,  who  claims  the 
honor  of  its  authorship.  But  there  are  no  less  than 
twenty-seven  different  bibles  in  the  world,  each  claim- 
ing the  divine  authority ;  and  whether  you  turn  to  the 
sacred  books  of  India  or  Persia,  or  to  the  revelations 
made  by  John  Smith  orBrigham  Young,  there  is  about 
as  much  evidence  in  one  as  in  the  other  of  divine 
authorship.  In  fact,  the  much-condemned  Mormons 
of  Salt  Lake  City  are  but  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
King  David  and  King  Solomon,  who,  in  the  halcyon 


DO  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  THE  DEVIL?       119 

days  of  the  Christian  bible,  were  said  to  be  men  after 
God's  own  heart,  and  compared  to  lilies  of  the  field. 

The  bibles  of  all  countries  are,  in  reality,  a  phase  of 
the  history  of  the  different  people  who  inhabited  them, 
and  in  these  histories  earthly  and  spiritual  events  are 
presented  in  such  a  heterogeneous  way  that  it  becomes 
difficult,  now,  to  separate  one  from  the  other.  The 
Christian  bible,  which  we  presume  is  the  one  referred 
to,  presents  more  striking  contrasts  than  all  the  others 
put  together;  it  is  inconsistent  with  the  demonstrations 
of  nature,  repeatedly  contradicts  itself,  and,  yet,  through 
the  new  testament,  particularly,  there  is  a  line  of 
thought  suggested  which  is  both  elevating  and  encour- 
aging. 'No  lover  of  the  truth  can  fail  to  see  this,  and 
if  the  life  of  Jesus  was  carefully  edited  it  would  present 
a  lesson  of  incalculable  value  to  mankind. 

But  God,  the  universal  spirit,  speaks  to  every  age  in 
the  development  of  that  age,  and  His  bible  is  found 
not  on  the  printed  pages  of  any  one  volume,  but  in  the 
universal  book  of  nature  which  every  day  is  revealing 
new  truths  for  the  benefit  of  the  entire  world. 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  TIII-:  UI.YIL? 

The  idea  that  there  is  a  personality  of  evil,  well-nigh 
supreme  in  his  power,  who  was  once  an  angel  of  light, 
but  is  now  roaming  over  the  earth  seeking  whom  he 
may  devour,  was  one  that  found  ready  acceptance  up 
to  the  early  part  of  the  present  century.  Sometimes  a 
snake,  often  a  lion,  and  always  an  enemy.  This  monster, 
whose  residence  was  in  hell,  but  whose  presence  per- 


I2O      DO   SPIRITUALISTS   BELIEVE   IN   A   SAVIOR  ? 

vaded  the  entire  world,  was  greatly  dreaded  and  feared. 
He  was  a  necessary  factor  in  the  theological  scheme. 
Without  a  devil  a  savior  would  be  a  superfluity  and, 
consequently,  children  of  all  ages  were  taught  of  his 
existence  and  feared  him  accordingly.  Of  late  years, 
this  idea  has  undergone  much  modification,  not  because 
there  has  been  any  new  revelation  in  regard  to  it,  but 
because  thinkers  outside  the  church  have  educated 
those  inside,  and  shown  the  fallaciousness  of  the  idea. 
Albeit  the  thought  of  his  existence  still  shadows  the 
human  mind,  and  it  plays  as  important,  if  not  as  promi- 
nent, a  one  in  the  theological  scheme  as  ever. 

The  spiritualist  has  done  more  to  modify  the  power 
of  the  devil  than  almost  any  one  else.  He  holding 
that  if  God  be  supreme,  whatever  exists,  either  in 
heaven  or  earth,  does  so  as  the  result  of  that  supremacy ; 
and  that  evil  is  simply  undeveloped  good,  which  later 
on  will  be  made  to  serve  the  purposes  of  heaven.  The 
devil  is  a  man  of  straw,  built  out  of  the  ignorance  and 
superstitions  of  a  foolish  mind,  and  destroyed  by  every 
revelation  that  nature  makes. 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  A  SAVIOR  ? 

Man  surrounded  by  the  action  of  laws  which  he  has 
not  the  ability  to  understand,  constantly  feels  his  own 
insufficiency.  He  reaches  out,  as  a  child  does,  for  some- 
thing whereby  to  guide  himself,  and,  face  to  face  with 
the  great  mystery  of  death,  he  instinctively  searches  for 
some  mediator  in  the  great  unknown.  It  is  for  this 
reason  that  the  theologians  have  been  able  to  make 


DO   SPIRITUALISTS    BELIEVK    IN    A   SAVIOR?      121 

acceptable  the  theory  of  redemption  through  the  blood 
of  Jesus.  It  is  also  flattering  to  the  egotism  of  man  to 
be  taught  that  God  took  upon  himself  human  form, 
lived,  suffered  and  died  to  save  unborn  millions  from 
his  own  wrath.  Having  created  man  exactly  as  he  is, 
and  foreordained  him  to  become  whatever  he  may  be, 
it  is  only  natural  that  he  should  seek  to  mitigate  his 
sufferings  in  every  way. 

But  there  is  probably  no  subject  extant  concerning 
which  so  much  nonsense  has  been  written  and  sung  as 
this  one  of  Jesus  and  salvation.  Indeed  the  most  fabled 
tales  of  childhood  hours  sink  into  insignificance  before 
their  grotesque  stupidity.  "  Believe  and  ye  shall  be 
saved ;  believe  not  and  ye  shall  be  damned,"  while  all 
the  time  belief  is  not  dependent  upon  either  the  will, 
nor  yet,  the  inclination  of  the  individual. 

Salvation  means  that  Jesus  and  his  blood  furnishes 
an  escape  from  just  punishment  for  sins  committed.  But 
a  higher  and  grander  religion  would  teach  man  to  meet 
the  angel  of  retribution  and  accept  whatever  penalty 
his  misdeeds  merited  and,  through  learning  the  lesson 
that  such  punishment  contains,  be  freed  from  the  bane- 
ful influences  of  unholy  desires,  and  compel  him  to 
recognize  that  a  confession  of  sins,  and  a  profession  of 
religion,  followed  by  a  transgression  of  nature's  law,  could 
only  result  in  disaster  to  the  individual,  and  eventual 
destruction  to  society ;  while,  if  he  walks,  hand  in  hand, 
with  nature,  and  fulfils  her  behests,  professions  would 
be  superfluous,  and  confession  unnecessary.  Knowledge, 
then,  will  have  taken  the  place  of  faith,  and  those  who 
walk  in  the  light  of  her  sweet  presence,  take  no  un- 


DO  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  HEAVEN  AND  HELL  ? 

certain  steps,  her  power  transcending  all    others,  and 
outliving  all,  save  time  itself. 

Every  man  becomes  his  own  savior  the  moment  he 
ceases  to  do  evil  and  learns  to  do  well.  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  by  the  simplicity  of  his  life,  his  noble  devotion 
to  what  he  considered  to  be  true,  his  wide  sympathy 
and  lofty  aspirations,  furnishes  an  example  of  what  it 
is  possible  for  man  to  attain  unto.  In  this  sense,  he  is 
a  savior  so  far  as  his  life  becomes  an  encouragement  to 
others,  and  in  no  other  way. 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  HEAVEN  AND  HELL  ? 

Spiritualists  hold  that  there  is  a  spiritual  world  into 
which  every  spirit  passes,  when  its  work  on  earth  is 
completed,  that  heaven  and  hell,  instead  of  being 
localities,  are  states  within  rather  than  conditions 
without,  and  that  death  has  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  the  realization  of  either.  He  who  is  in  accord 
with  himself  may  be  in  a  world  of  contention,  but  he 
has  heaven  within.  He  who  is  at  discord  with  himself, 
no  matter  how  fair  the  external  surroundings,  has,  so 
long  as  that  discord  remains,  a  hell  within  himself. 
Dying  only  takes  the  spirit  from  one  condition  to 
another  and  there  emphasizes  spiritual  states.  It  is  as 
if  man's  real  spiritual  development  had  been  placed  in  the 
scales,  weighed  and  then,  by  a  law  of  spiritual  gravita- 
tion, rises  or  falls  according  to  its  own  inherent  quali- 
ties. The  reward  or  punishment,  of  which  so  much  is 
said,  is  the  result  of  the  decision  as  to  what  that  state 
shall  be.  It  is  dependent  upon  the  interior  life  of  the 


DO   SPIRITUALISTS   BELIEVE    IN    I'KAYER  ?        123 

spirit  and  upon  absolutely  nothing  else,  it  being  remem- 
bered, always,  that  a  man  can  never  get  away  from  him- 
self and  that  in  the  spiritual  world  disguise  is  impossible. 
Each  spirit  stands  forth  for  exactly  what  it  is.  The 
good  are  attracted  to  the  spheres  of  ligtit  and  find  their 
happiness,  not  in  decking  themselves  out  in  flowing 
robes  and  shining  crowns,  but  in  the  contemplation  of 
still  grander  achievements,  while  the  bad  are  con- 
tinually in  the  presence  of  their  own  evil  doings  which 
are  apparent  to  all. 

Progress,  despite  the  orthodox  church,  is  as  universal 
after  death  as  before,  and  no  spirit  is  ever  left  in  the 
world  of  outer  darkness  until  the  star  of  hope  has  been 
placed  in  the  heavens  above  him. 

Theories  of  infant  damnation,  eternal  punishment 
and  everlasting  misery,  together  with  the  picture  of 
heavenly  joys,  as  taught  by  the  church,  find  no  accept- 
ance, whatever,  at  the  hands  of  the  intelligent 
spiritualist. 

Do  SPIRITUALISTS  BELIEVE  IN  PRAYER  ? 

Yes,  they  do ;  but  they  do  not  believe  in  man's  thank- 
ing God  for  everything  that  is  in  the  world,  and  in  the 
same  breath  suggesting  an  amendment  and  a  change 
thereof.  They  do  not  believe  that  God  will  ever  change 
one  of  his  laws,  which  being  his,  are  founded  upon 
absolute  justice,  though  all  the  world  should  unite  in 
one  common  prayer.  At  the  same  time  they  hold  that 
the  concentration  of  the  mind  upon  desired  points, 
brings  the  individual  spirit  into  relationship  with  the 


124  ARE   THERE   EVIL   SPIRITS  ? 

law,  whereby  it  is  possible  of  accomplishment,  and  also 
attracts  other  spirit  intelligencies,  who  add  their  influ- 
ence to  the  same  purposes.  Prayers,  however,  should 
have  a  spiritual,  rather  than  a  material  tendency,  and 
when  uttered  in  the  spirit  of  true  desire,  cannot  fail  to 
produce  a  harmonizing  and  beneficial  effect  upon  the 
individual. 

ARE  THERE  EVIL  SPIRITS  ? 

This  has  been  the  bugbear  that  has  opposed  the  de- 
monstration of  any  spiritual  power  throughout  all  the 
centuries.  Very  few  church  people  deny  the  facts  of 
spiritualism.  They  hold  it  is  possible  that  spirits  may 
manifest  themselves  upon  the  earth,  but  that  all  such 
spirits  are  of  evil  origin  and,  if  not  in  direct  partner- 
ship with  the  devil  himself,  are  allied  thereto ;  that  they 
are  spirits  who  are  not  good  enough  for  heaven,  and 
not  yet  bad  enough  for  hell,  so  they  remain,  for  a  time, 
in  outer  darkness,  awaiting  their  final  punishment  and, 
meantime,  amuse  themselves  by  deceiving  mankind. 
So  cunning  are  these  evil  spirits  that  they  may  deceive 
the  elect  of  heaven,  and  the  more  plausible  and  reason- 
able they  appear  the  more  deceptive  they  are. 

The  spiritual  world  is  made  up  of  the  men  and 
women  who  have  lived  in  this  world,  and  as  sin  and 
vice  have  been  relatives  since  time  began,  it  is  not  at  all 
surprising  that  those  who  have  died  steeped  to  the  core 
with  sin  should,  on  their  return  to  the  earth,  manifest  the 
same  evil  tendencies.  But,  at  the  same  time,  such 
spirits  only  return  when  there  is  something  in  the  indi- 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM.  12$ 

vidual  to  attract  them,  and  those  who  wish  for  the 
presence  of  the  good,  the  wise  and  the  true,  have  only  to 
worship  at  the  shrine  of  goodness,  wisdom  and  truth  to 
receive  them.  However,  suppose  that  evil  spirits  do 
return  more  frequently  even  than  good  ones,  that  would 
serve  quite  as  well  to  prove  man's  continued  life 

after  death. 

****** 

In  short,  modern  spiritualism  holds  that  after  death 
the  identity  of  the  human  spirit  is  preserved,  and  that, 
under  proper  conditions,  through  certain  sensitive 
organizations,  such  demonstrations  of  that  life  can  be 
given  as  to  prove  it  conclusively. 

Mediums  are  persons  possessed  of  an  organization 
differing  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  inasmuch  as  the 
extremes  are  more  highly  marked  and  the  entire  nerv- 
ous system  more  attuned  to  the  emotional  than  to  the 
logical.  Through  these  mouth-pieces  the  spirits  of  the 
departed  have,  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  been  able  to 
manifest  themselves  with  more  or  less  intelligence,  gov- 
erned, to  a  great  degree,  by  the  conditions  whereby 
such  communications  were  made  possible.  Sometimes 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Moses,  Confucius,  Joan  of  Arc,  and 
other  rarely  gifted  natures,  have  shone  down  upon  the 
darkness  of  the  human  mind  with  a  force  and  power 
born,  alone,  of  divine  inspiration.  It  was  not  that  their 
minds  were  particularly  gifted  by  any  system  of  educa- 
tion, or  process  of  enfoldment,  but  that  their  organiza- 
tions, both  physical  and  spiritual,  were  so  in  attune  to 
the  unuttered  law  of  heaven,  that  they  voiced  its  word, 
and  later  times  interpreted  and  comprehended  its 


126  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM. 

meaning.  Not  to  their  own  age  was  the  message  given, 
not  to  their  own  time  was  the  word  spoken,  for  the 
age  rewarded  them,  invariably,  with  persecution  and 
death  ;  but  the  age  that  came  after  got  the  fuller  mean- 
ing, clasped  hands  with  the  thought  given,  and  sought 
to  follow  whithersoever  it  led.  Not  the  less  credit  is 
given  them  because  they  were  instruments  in  the  hands 
of  the  spiritual  world,  rather  than  originators  of  the 
thoughts,  possibly  more  is  due  them,  since,  had  they 
not  been  fitting  and  worthy  instruments,  the  words 
would  have  remained  unsaid. 

In  Part  X,  wre  shall  speak  of  the  various  phases  of 
mediumship  far  more  extensively  than  we  are  able  to 
do  here,  since  there  it  is  classified  and  explained. 

Be  it  understood,  that  spiritualism  rests  upon  the 
direct  evidence  of  its  truth,  which  has  been  given  and 
continues  to  be  given,  in  the  present  day.  What  a  man 
sees  he  is  bound  to  believe,  and  all  the  cries  of  evil 
spirits,  delusion  and  fraud,  have  no  effect  upon  a  mind 
that  has  convinced  itself  through  actual  proof  and 
demonstration. 


PART   X. 

MEDIUM.SHIP  AND>  SPIRITUAL  PHENOMENA. 

FORH5    OF 
REAARK.S    UPON 


129 


AND   SPIRITUAL 

(Entered  according  to  Act  r-f  Congress,  in  the  year  U93. 1  y  ACGUSTA  W.  FLKTCBIK,  M.  D., 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington.) 

It  would  be  impossible  to  proceed  in  the  consider- 
ation of  the  subject  before  us,  without  referring  to  the 
spiritual  phenomena  which  have  marked  this  age  with 
singular  significance,  as  they  have  many  a  former  one. 
The  phenomena  are  important,  not  so  much  for  what 
they  demonstrate  as  for  the  line  of  thought  and 
spiritual  possibility  which  they  suggest.  This  has  been, 
perhaps,  the  first  time  in  human  experience  that  these 
strange  occurrences,  now  so  common,  have  every  reason 
to  demand  the  credence  of  the  wise,  and  the  careful 
consideration  and  investigation  of  the  studious ;  but 
this  is  an  age  when  the  spirit  of  inquiry  is  abroad,  when 
prejudice  and  superstition  have,  to  a  great  degree,  suc- 
cumbed to  the  advancing  power  of  intelligent  thought, 
and,  perforce,  the  mind  goes  out,  untrammeled,  into 
the  domain  of  natural  philosophy,  seeking  to  prove 
all  things,  and  holding  fast  to  that  which  is  true.  It  is 
peculiar,  in  an  age  marked  for  its  atheistical  tenden- 
cies, when  doubts  are  everywhere,  and  beliefs  have 
scarcely  a  place  to  rest  their  feet,  that  there  should  be 
any  particular  interest  in  spiritual  things,  which  are,  in 
fact,  the  antithesis  of  materialistic  inquiry.  However, 
such  is  the  case,  and,  despite  the  teachings  of  natural 
science  and  the  scoffing  of  men  of  learning,  there  is  a 


130      MEDIUMSHIP   AND   SPIRITUAL   PHENOMENA. 

large  and  considerable  following  of  intelligent  minds 
who  are  able  to  pass  beyond  the  boundary  line  of  a 
personal,  physical  existence  and  stand,  face  to  face, 
with  that  higher  form  of  life  which  follows  in  its  train. 
These  persons  call  themselves  spiritualists,  in  the 
extreme  sense  of  the  word ;  but,  all  the  same,  they  are 
journeying  toward  the  same  centre  by  another  and, 
possibly,  less  direct  road. 

All  ages  of  the  world  have  been  blessed  by  evidences 
of  a  continued  life  ;  some  of  these  have  been  varied  and 
marked  in  character,  and,  hundreds  of  years  after,  have 
served  as  a  foundation  for  a  new  system  of  religious 
belief,  as,  for  instance,  the  spiritual  demonstrations 
that  are  recorded  in  the  bible,  and  which  extend 
throughout  the  entire  range  of  human  experience,  from 
the  rolling  of  the  stone  away  from  the  door  of  the 
sepulchre  to  the  translating  of  Elijah  in  a  chariot  of  fire. 
In  later  time,  similar  powers  have  been  possessed  by  in- 
dividuals, which  their  own  age  did  not  accept  with  as 
friendly  an  interpretation ;  but,  inspired  by  a  stupid 
superstition,  sought  to  crush  out,  by  all  sorts  of  in- 
iquitous punishments,  that  which  they  were  unable  to 
understand  or  appreciate.  The  Salem  witchcraft,  in 
which  we  find  an  illustration  of  the  presence  of  spiritual 
power,  marks  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  civilization 
which,  to-day,  excites  the  pity  of  the  world. 

Forty-five  years  ago,  in  the  little  house  at  Hydesville, 
N.  Y.,  the  quiet  of  the  home  was  broken  by  the  attempt 
of  spirits  to  prove  their  existence  in  the  spiritual  world. 
Two  little  children,  members  of  the  Fox  family,  were 
said  to  be  the  instrument  through  which  this  demon- 


MKPIUMSHIP    AM)    SPIRITUAL    PHENOMENA.      13! 

stration  was  given.  So  powerful  were  the  efforts  of 
these  spirits,  that  the  attention  of  the  family,  and,  later 
on,  the  community,  was  enlisted,  and  furnished  men  of 
science,  theologians  and  the  world  at -large,  with  a  sub- 
ject for  discussion.  Opinions  were  expressed  with  more 
vehemence  than  intelligence,  and  were  as  divergent  as  it 
is  possible  to  imagine.  At  first,  the  whole  matter  was 
declared  to  be  a  humbug,  a  common,  flimsy  trick  de- 
vised to  entrap  the  weak-minded  ;  in  fact,  the  doctors, 
and  many  of  the  clergymen,  openly  asserted  that  the 
raps  produced  in  the  presence  of  these  children,  were 
simply  the  result  of  the  action  of  their  knee  and  toe- 
joints  ;  but  while  this  might  explain  the  production  of 
the  sounds,  it  in  no  way  furnished  a  reason  for  the  in- 
telligence and  knowledge  which  they  conveyed.  Then 
they  took  the  other  horn  of  the  dilemma,  these  self- 
appointed  critics,  and  as  vociferously  declared  that  all 
the  occurrences  were  due  to  the  action  of  some  subtle 
law  in  magnetism  and  electricity.  What  these  two  ele- 
ments were  these  wise  men  failed  to  explain,  and,  be- 
cause so  little  was  known  of  these  forces,  their  asser- 
tions seemed  the  more  profound.  But  here  they  were 
met  by  the  intelligence  conveyed,  for  which  they  offered 
no  direct  explanation,  and  the  more  enlightened  gradu- 
ally dropped  the  subject  altogether.  The  theologians, 
however,  realizing  that  if  this  thing  grew  in  strength 
and  power  their  own  citadel  would  be  in  danger,  per- 
sisted in  their  denunciation  ;  but  ended,  finally,  in  de- 
claring that  the  devil,  who  is  supposed  to  be  at  the 
bottom  of  all  of  the  mischief  in  this  world,  had  chosen 
this  method  of  deceiving  mankind  for  its  ultimate  de- 


132      MEDIUMSHIP  AND   SPIRITUAL   PHENOMENA. 

struction ;  and,  as  the  devil  has  always  been  renowned 
for  being  one  of  the  most  clever  and  able  personalities 
extant,  herein  was  found  an  explanation  for  all  that  had 
occurred.  By  this  time,  however,  the  subject  had 
spread  from  Maine  to  Oregon,  had  crossed  the  ocean, 
and  was  enlisting  the  attention  of  the  crowned  heads  of 
Europe  and  the  East,  and,  during  the  past  forty-five 
years,  has  continued  to  grow  until  it  pervades  nearly 
every  department  of  human  life.  In  art,  literature  and 
modern  science  it  holds  an  important  place,  and,  to- 
day, the  younger  and  more  liberal  class  of  theologians 
are  inducting  its  teachings  into  the  theological  system, 
and  looking  for  its  demonstrations  to  prove,  in  a  uni- 
versal sense,  what  they,  in  a  more  limited  one,  have 
been  asserting  for  years.  These  manifestations  have 
adapted  themselves  to  every  human  requirement,  and 
whether  it  be  the  rapping  upon  or  the  tipping  of  tables, 
the  writing  of  messages  by  spirit  power,  the  seeing  of 
faces,  trance-speaking  or  materialization  (which  is  the 
taking  on,  temporarily,  of  physical  elements  by  the 
spirits),  the  object  and  purpose  have  been  the  same, 
namely,  to  prove  that  after  death  the  spiritual  man 
continues  to  live. 

A  medium  is  one  who  furnishes  peculiar  magnetic 
elements  through  which  spiritual  demonstrations,  of 
whatever  character  or  kind,  are  given.  His  moral 
character,  mental  development  and  social  position,  have 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  his  ability  in  this  direction. 
That  they  may  have  something  to  do  with  the  character 
of  the  manifestation  is  true  ;  but  some  form  could  be 
given,  whether  he  be  morally  good  or  bad.  It  is  the 


PHYSICAL   MEDIUMS.  133 

organization,  not  the  man,  temperament  and  not  edu- 
cation, peculiar,  physical,  magnetic  quality  rather  than 
mental  development.  Thus  a  man  may  be  bad  as  a 
man,  and  yet  be  remarkable  as  a  medium.  This,  in  the 
same  degree,  is  true  of  a  man  gifted  in  any  particular 
line.  He  may  be  a  great  artist  and  create  results  which 
will  live  centuries  after  he  is  individually  forgotten,  and 
yet  not  be  a  great  moral  teacher.  He  may  invent 
wonderful  mechanical  appliances  which  will  be  of  un- 
told benefit  to  the  world,  and  yet  be  a  liar  and  a  thief. 
He,  like  Byron,  George  Eliot,  or  George  Sand,  may 
be  of  more  than  ordinary  genius  and  yet  scarcely  an 
individual  that  one  would  set  up  as  a  pattern  for  the 
rest  of  the  world  to  model  after.  Mediumship  is  a 
gift  as  much  as  is  the  inspiration  of  the  poet  or  the 
genius  of  the  artist. 

PHYSICAL  MEDIUMS. 

This,  perhaps,  is  the  most  common,  comprehensive 
and  conclusive  form  that  has  yet  been  vouchsafed.  By 
physical  mediumship  we  mean  the  ability  of  spirits  to 
produce  physical  results  through  acting  upon,  or  in  con- 
junction with,  material  objects.  Raps,  the  moving  of 
furniture,  the  production  of  lights  and  spirit  faces  in 
the  darkness,  are  all  evidences  of  the  possession  of  this 
power.  Through  them,  ideas,  thoughts  and  messages 
are  conveyed,  from  the  spiritual  world  to  the  earth 
plane,  in  much  the  same  way  that  a  message  is  tele- 
graphed from  one  city  to  another,  the  spirit  being  the 
intelligent  operator  at  the  other  end  of  the  line.  This 


134  PHYSICAL   MEDIUMS. 

power  is  usually  revealed  through  the  sitting  at  a  table 
alone,  or  in  connection  with  others,  for  the  specific 
purpose  of  seeing  what  will  happen.  After  two  or  three 
attempts,  perhaps  at  the  very  first,  the  table  will  begin 
to  move,  and,  through  calling  over  the  alphabet,  which 
is  responded  to  by  the  oscillations  of  the  table,  messages 
are  spelled  out  and  much  direct  information  given.  This 
information  will  consist  in  giving  names  of  the  disem- 
bodied who  may  be  present,  advice  and  comments  upon 
earthly  affairs,  and  other  suggestions  of  a  character  that 
will  betray  the  identity  of  those  making  such  communi- 
cations. It  must  be  remembered  that  the  mental  atti- 
tude of  those  forming  the  circle  for  such  investigation, 
will  have  more  to  do  with  the  nature  and  character  of 
the  communications  than  anything  else.  Frivolity  and 
irreverence  serve  to  attract  spirits  who,  when  on  earth, 
were  of  like  nature  and  characteristics. 

A  physical  medium  is  of  a  very  emotional  tempera- 
ment, however  perfectly  developed,  and  is  more  sus- 
ceptible to  physical  influences  than  any  other  class  of 
mediums.  Consequently,  after  a  seance  of  this  kind,  his 
material  associations  should  be  guarded  against,  as, 
through  the  loss  of  magnetism,  he  has  become 
much  more  amenable  to  all  kinds  of  passing  influences 
which  infest  the  air,  and  he  may,  possibly,  aye,  very 
likely  will,  succumb  to  some  of  them.  Enough  atten- 
tion has  never  been  paid  to  the  conditions  surrounding 
a  medium  directly  after  the  exhibition  of  his  power; 
for,  through  the  indiscriminate  commingling  of  different 
magnetisms,  a  large  number  of  the  disasters  which  follow 
on  the  train  of  an  ignorant  exercise  of  his  power  is 


PHYSICAL    MEI>ir\l>.  135 

due.  He  should  immediately  pass  into  the  company 
of  friends,  who,  instead  of  going  over  the  seance  or,  in 
fact,  talking  about  it  at  all,  should  swing  to  the  other 
extreme  and  introduce  some  light  form  of  amusement, 
and,  possibly  later  on,  he  should  take  some  refresh- 
ment. But  great  care  should  be  taken  to  avoid  the  use 
of  any  stimulating  or  intoxicating  drinks,  since,  while 
in  his  sensitive  state,  some  of  the  spirits  possessed  of 
debasing  tendencies  may  rush  into  his  sphere  and,  by 
exerting  a  subtle  influence,  induce  him  to  do  things 
which,  in  an  exactly  normal  condition,  he  would  regret. 
It  is  well  to  state  here  that  every  medium  is  under 
the  guidance  and  control  of  two  or  more  distinct  bands 
of  spirits  who  have  the  manifestations  in  charge,  both 
for  their  production  and  direction.  The  spirits  pro- 
ducing physical  manifestations  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  any  medium  are  not  advanced  spirits,  but  are 
in  close  relationship  with  earthly  forces  and  are  able  to 
affinitize  themselves  therewith  by  the  effort  of  their  will. 
At  the  same  time,  they  are  responsive  to  a  band  of 
spirit-chemists  who  work  in  consonance  with  them,  and 
direct,  to  a  great  degree,  the  purposes  of  their  work,  in 
like  manner  as  the  contractor  directs  the  labor  of  those 
whom  he  employs.  But  these  spirits  are  not  always 
directly  connected  with  their  medium,  and  are,  some- 
times, unable  to  counteract  adverse  influences,  conse- 
quently, results  follow  which,  were  they  all  powerful, 
they  would,  without  doubt,  prevent.  Then,  again, 
while  a  man  may  be  magnetically  and  particularly 
well  adapted  for  their  use,  in  this  direction,  he  may  be 
mentally  opposed  to  it.  and  his  ignorance  and  intention 


136  TRANCE   MEDIUMSHIP. 

place  many  obstacles  in  the  way,  for  the  more  perfect 
outworking  of  the  original  design.  This  must  always 
be  the  case  until  some  one  shall  arise  who  will  make 
the  laws  of  mediumship  a  study,  and  then  the  medium, 
before  he  enters  in  upon  a  public  career,  will  be  so 
educated  as  to  intelligently  discriminate  between  those 
conditions  which  will  assist  and  those  which  will  mar 
the  result.  He  will  be  able  to  decide  when  everything 
is  working  together  for  good,  using  his  powers  only 
when  everything  is  at  its  best.  He  will  thus  be  able 
to  prevent  the  numbers  of  partial  failures  which,  in 
the  present  state  of  ignorance,  excite  so  much  un- 
friendly comment.  As  it  is,  the  ordinary  medium, 
although  possessed  of  extraordinary  gifts,  perhaps 
knows  as  little  of  the  laws  governing  their  exercise  as 
does  the  casual  observer.  A  school  of  mediumship  is  a 
necessity  for  the  best  and  highest  results  to  be  assured. 

TRANCE  MEDIUMSHIP. 

By  far  the  most  common,  valuable  and  highly  appre- 
ciated form  of  mediumship,  is  that  where  the  medium's 
brain  is  either  taken  full  possession  of,  or  so  held, 
hypnotically,  by  the  power  of  a  spirit,  as  to  oblit- 
erate, for  the  time  being,  the  individuality  of  the 
medium,  and  make  him  the  vehicle  for  the  transmission 
of  the  thoughts,  ideas  and  wishes  of  the  controlling  in- 
telligences. While  under  an  influence  or  control  of 
this  kind,  information  of  great  value  and  interest  has 
been  given,  such  as  names,  events  and  advice,  wholly 
outside  the  knowledge  or  the  known  capacity  of  the 


TRANCE   MEDIUMSHIP.  137 

medium  himself.  There  seems  to  be  an  intensification 
of  all  his  powers ;  for,  at  that  time,  he  is  more  per- 
ceptive, intuitive  and  sympathetic  than  when  in  a  purely 
normal  state.  Not  infrequently  he  is  clairvoyant  and 
clairaudient ;  paints  pictures,  writes  books  and  composes 
music ;  all  of  which  is  as  wonderful  to  him  afterward,  as 
it  is  remarkable  to  others.  But  this  class  of  medium- 
ship,  more  than  any  other,  is  the  victim  of  the  embodied 
and  disembodied.  If  the  medium  is  subject  to  the  influ- 
ence of  a  spirit,  how  much  more  likely  is  he  to  be 
affected  by  the  character  of  those  about  him.  Strong 
minds  in  the  body  may  take  control  of  his  brain, 
instead  of  the  spirit  intelligences ;  thus  he  may  become 
the  mouth-piece  of  their  thoughts,  rather  than  an 
instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  spiritual  world. 
Such  persons,  who  must  be  of  a  highly  sensitive  order, 
cannot  come  under  the  same  line  of  human  criticism  and 
judgment,  as  is  applied  to  those  in  every-day  life ;  and 
yet,  not  infrequently,  they  are  subject  to  a  more  severe 
and  rigorous  one.  Conditions  that  would  not  affect  a 
blacksmith  or  a  wheelwright,  would  mar,  very  much, 
the  work  of  the  poet  or  the  artist  and,  admitting  the 
existence  of  spiritual  mediumship,  certainly  the  con- 
ditions surrounding  a  medium,  should  be  considered 
with  equal  care  and  attention. 

Contrary  to  the  conditions  which  govern  physical 
mediumship,  the  mental  development  of  trance  me- 
diums has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  results  obtained 
through  them.  The  old  idea  of  the  bigger  the  fool 
the  better  the  medium,  has  been  proven  to  be  both 
fallacious  and  untenable.  The  spiritual  world  creates 


138  TRANCE    MEDIUM  SHI  1'. 

nothing,  it  simply  brings  into  active  use  that  which  is. 
The  medium  is  like  a  musical  instrument ;  if  he  be 
uneducated  and  inexperienced,  there  may  be  only  one 
or  two  octaves  that  will  give  forth  sound ;  but  if  he  be 
educated,  has  had  experience,  and  his  nature  is  rounded 
out,  he  becomes  an  instrument  where  all  the  notes 
respond  to  the  touch  of  the  master's  hand. 

Theo.  Parker  could  never  express  himself  to  his  own 
satisfaction,  save  through  a  mental  organization  that 
was  correspondingly  developed  with  his  own.  The  more 
education  a  medium  can  have,  the  greater  his  psychic 
capacity,  and  the  more  perfect  channel  will  he  become 
for  the  transmission  of  thought.  Education,  in  the  true 
sense  of  the  word,  is  to  the  mind  what  proper  exercise 
is  to  the  body. 

The  first  evidence  of  the  possession  of  trance  medi- 
umship,  is  found  in  the  ability  to  obtain  quick  mental 
impressions,  sensing  conditions  belonging  to  individuals 
with  whom  one  is  brought  in  contact,  and,  in  seasons  of 
quiet,  experiencing  a  loss  of  one's  external  consciousness. 
These  conditions  can  be  emphasized  by  appropriating 
an  hour  in  each  day,  which  should  be  devoted  to  their 
development.  Two  or  three  congenial  friends,  in 
sympathy  with  this  object,  should  join  hands  around  a 
table,  and,  avoiding  all  unfriendly  discussion  preceding 
the  hour,  concentrate  their  minds  upon  the  purpose  de- 
sired. The  time  may  then  be  passed  in  seeking  spirit- 
ual help.  Sometimes  the  hand  of  the  sensitive  will 
be  used  automatically,  sometimes  impressions  may  be 
first  made  upon  the  brain  and  then  written  out,  or  a 
heaviness  will  pass  over  him,  which  will  finally  be  fol- 


TRANCE    MEDIUMSHir.  139 

lowed  by  partial  or  complete  entrancement,  which,  if 
persisted  in,  will  result  favorably  to  all  concerned  ;  but, 
during  the  first  months  of  incipient  mediumship,  too 
much  credence  must  not  be  given  to  what  is  said 
through  its  influence,  as  the  imperfect  conditions  and 
incomplete  development  will  make  it  well-nigh  impossi- 
ble, no  matter  how  good  the  intention  of  the  spirit,  to 
transmit  his  thought  with  any  exactitude.  You  have 
to  know,  to  become  acquainted  with,  the  controlling 
spirits,  just  the  same  as  you  do  with  individuals  upon 
the  earth.  Death  does  not  destroy,  it  only  modifies 
mental  peculiarities ;  and  hate,  love,  truth,  falsehood, 
right  and  wrong  are  as  apparent,  if  less  active,  upon 
the  spiritual  as  upon  the  earthly  plane  of  existence. 
Not  every  spirit  will  be  self-sacrificing  and  disinterested 
in  the  advice  given,  and  it  should  become  a  matter  of 
deep  consideration,  to  the  thoughtful,  as  to  how  best 
discriminate  between  the  wise  and  the  unwise,  the  good 
and  the  bad.  After  a  certain  epoch  is  passed,  how- 
ever, and  the  control  of  advanced  spirits  assured, 
mediumship  of  this  form  will  continue  on  the  even  tenor 
of  its  way,  and  be  developed  to  a  state  of  great  value 
and  reliability.  Then  the  thoughts  of  inspired  speakers, 
and  teachings  received  in  the  seance  room,  can  be  ac- 
cepted as  being  what  they  purport  to  be  ;  not  truth  in 
the  absolute  sense,  perhaps,  but  a  greater  degree  of 
truth  than  mortals  are  able  to  obtain  through  purely 
earthly  sources.  Yet,  through  these  evidences  of  the 
control  of  spirits,  will  be  found  the  peculiarities  of  the 
medium  upon  which  such  control  is  exercised.  This 
is  invariably  true,  and  must  always  be  taken  into 


I4O  HEALING    MEDIUMSHIP. 

consideration,  more  or  less.  It  becomes  much  wiser, 
then,  in  consulting  a  medium,  to  allow  the  controlling 
spirits  to  conduct  the  communications  unaided,  since 
talking  the  matter  over  with  the  medium,  either  before 
o'r  after,  may  serve  to  develop  a  prejudice  which  is 
liable  to  tincture  much  that  he  may  say  while  under 
such  influence.  This  was  particularly  true  of  Emanuel 
Swedenborg,  who  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
mediums  of  his  time.  His  early  theological  training, 
without  doubt,  colored  much  of  that  which  he  wrote. 
Had  he  been  devoid  of  such  religious  training  he  would 
have  put  a  far  different  interpretation  upon  that  which 
was  given  him  by  the  spiritual  world,  and  which  he  has 
recorded  for  the  benefit  of  the  generations  that  were  to 
follow. 

HEALING  MEDIUMSHIP. 

A  class  of  almost  unrecognized  workers  in  the  world 
is  known  as  healing  mediums.  They  are  persons  not 
unlike  physical  mediums  in  temperament,  but  with  a 
different  application  of  the  magnetic  power  that  sur- 
rounds them.  In  the  former,  the  spirit-band  seeks  to 
produce  demonstrations  of  a  different  kind,  and  uses 
this  power  for  that  purpose ;  but,  in  the  latter,  the 
power  is  applied  for  the  amelioration  of  physical  suffer- 
ing and  the  building  up  of  the  physical  organization. 
Such  mediums  are  surrounded  by  strong  magnetic 
auras  which  are  ever  present  with  them  whithersoever 
they  go.  It  may  not,  however,  be  in  operation ;  in 
fact,  it  rarely  ever  is,  unless  under  the  direction  of  a  con- 


INSPIRATIONAL    MKDIUMSHIP.  14! 

trolling  band  who  seem  to  be  carrying  on  a  work  for 
humanity  which  they  began  in  their  earthly  life,  and 
are  now  endeavoring  to  continue  through  this  agency. 
The  controlling  spirits,  under  this  phase  of  work,  are 
almost  invariably  physicians,  who  seem  to  have  found, 
in  this  adaptation  of  magnetic  laws,  more  ability  to  alle- 
viate human  suffering  than  through  the  administering 
of  drugs  and  medicines.  While  controlling,  these 
spirits  are  able  to  attract  from  the  atmosphere  and  in- 
dividuals whatever  magnetism  they  require  and  then 
to  envelop  the  sufferer  with  it,  until,  through  the  laws 
of  adaptability,  it  becomes  a  part  of  himself.  Many  re- 
markable cures  have  been  made  in  this  way,  but  the 
article  upon  Mental  Healers  (Part  IV.)  will  furnish 
elaboration  of  the  subject. 

INSPIRATIONAL  MEDIUMSHIP. 

Few  persons  are  aware  of  how  much  their  life  and 
work  is  affected  by  either  the  direct  or  indirect  influence 
of  departed  spirits,  who,  from  their  very  nature,  are 
bound  to  be  more  or  less  concerned  in  the  affairs 
of  earth  for  a  long  time  after  they  have  withdrawn 
from  the  stage  of  its  activities.  The  purposes,  hopes 
and  ambitions  of  a  lifetime  are  not  ended  when  the 
spirit  ceases  its  connection  with  external  life,  but  re- 
main after  death,  sometimes  strengthened  and  intensi- 
fied, and  seek  some  organization  in  the  earth  through 
which  to  carry  them  out.  Sometimes  a  spirit  of 
strongly  developed  individuality  will,  directly  after 
death,  associate  himself  with  a  person  still  living,  whose 


142  INSPIRATIONAL    MEDIUMSHIP. 

mental  capacity  is  not  dissimilar  to  his  own,  and  follow 
that  person  through  the  rest  of  his  earthly  career.  He 
will  constantly  impress  him  with  thoughts  and  sugges- 
tions which,  when  carried  out,  are  bound  to  result  success- 
fully. Or,  again,  a  spirit  may  be  attracted  to  a  number 
of  different  embodied  personalities  more  or  less  similar 
to  his  own  and,  in  certain  departments  of  his  work, 
become  the  all  controlling  power,  although  not  taking 
the  slightest  interest  in  the  general  life  of  the  individual. 
A  man  deeply  engaged  in  a  certain  reformatory  work, 
to  which  he  has,  in  a  great  measure,  devoted  his  life,  is 
called  to  the  spiritual  world  before  he  sees  the  fruition 
of  his  endeavors.  He  has  left  his  associates  here  in  the 
world  who,  with  equal  zeal,  forward  to  completion  that 
which  he  has  left  unfinished.  To  suppose  that  he  could 
instantly  forget  the  nature  of  that  work,  and  pass  into  a 
state  of  restful  oblivion,  is  to  ignore  the  character  of  the 
true  reformer.  He  who  has  sacrificed,  on  the  altar  of 
truth,  much  of  the  happiness  that  life  held,  is  not  likely 
to  permit  himself  to  be  absorbed  in  joy  and  pleasure 
while  those  purposes,  perhaps,  are  still  in  an  embryonic 
state.  He  is  still  attracted  to  the  old  centre  of  his 
activities,  but  is  interested,  only,  in  the  work  that  he 
began  and  to  which  he  gave  his  life,  and  will  immedi- 
ately connect  himself  with  one  or  more  of  his  former 
co-workers  and  continue  to  co-operate  with  them  so  long 
as  there  is  any  necessity  for  so  doing.  Many  speakers 
on  the  public  platform  who  are,  at  times,  marvelously 
eloquent  and,  at  other  times,  when  judged  by  their 
best  efforts,  mediocre,  are  persons  subject  to  momentary 
inspirations  and,  during  outbursts  of  oratory,  become 


INSPIRATIONAL    MEDIUMSHIP.  143 

the  channel  through  which  some  spirit  is  pouring  out 
his  thoughts.  All  persons  who  are  intensely  in  earnest 
are  subject  to  such  inspiration.  They  do  not  know 
whence  it  comes  ;  in  fact,  are  frequently  surprised  at 
the  result  and,  at  such  times,  are  said  to  be  at  their 
best.  This  inspiring  power  is  not  confined  to  any  one 
department  of  life,  but  relates  to  every  phase  wherein 
individuals  are  enough  engrossed,  in  the  subject  of  the 
moment,  to  forget  themselves  and  give  their  best 
strength  to  their  work.  What  is  called  good  judgment 
wherein,  as  is  often  the  case,  judgment  could  not  enter 
at  all,  is  simply  an  impression  received  from  some  spirit 
friend,  whose  keener  perceptions  are  able  to  foresee 
results  which  are  not  within  the  range  of  human  vision. 
All  persons  are  subject  to  these  intimations  much  more 
than  they  are  aware  of,  and  many  pass  by  unnoticed 
what  might  be  a  strong  evidence  of  some  presence  out- 
side of  their  own,  who  is  seeking  to  guide  them  along 
the  troubled  way  of  life.  And  this  does  not  relate  to 
what  is  commonly  called  imagination,  nor  is  it  our 
desire  to  stimulate  that  unhealthy  state  of  dependence 
whereby  any  individual  should  rely  upon  outside  help 
altogether,  for  that  help  is  only  valuable  and,  in  fact, 
only  to  be  relied  upon  when  the  individual  has  done  the 
very  best  he  could  for  himself. 

Speaking  of  the  continuance  of  work  by  a  spirit,  calls 
to  mind  an  example  which  would  illustrate  this  idea  to 
the  understanding  of  all : 

An  author-critic  of  considerable  ability,  and  especially 
enthusiastic  in  his  work,  passed  out  into  the  spiritual 
world,  leaving  his  daughter,  ;i  young  lady  of  about 


144  INSPIRATIONAL   MEDIUMSHIP. 

twenty,  well-nigh  alone.  She  became  very  much 
straitened  in  circumstances  and,  about  that  time 
there  was  published  a  book  which  excited  a  great 
amount  of  comment.  It  was  just  such  a  work  as  her 
father,  with  his  clear  acumen,  would  have  been  able  to 
deal  with,  successfully.  Sitting  alone,  in  the  old  library, 
where  he  had  worked  for  so  many  years,  she  fell  to 
thinking  of  him,  when,  impulsively,  she  drew  out  a 
drawer,  in  the  secretary,  which  contained  a  large 
number  of  quills,  it  being  a  peculiarity  of  his  to  pre- 
serve all  of  the  pens  which  he  had  used  in  his  literary 
work.  She  took  them  out  and  placed  them  on  the  table 
before  her,  thinking  of  the  hand,  now  vanished,  that 
had  guided  them  across  the  pages,  implanting  thereon 
suggestions  and  ideas  that  had  done  much  to  mould 
and  shape  the  thoughts  of  the  world.  The  volume, 
aforesaid,  lay  upon  the  table  beside  the  pens ;  the  fire 
burned  low,  and  all  was  still  throughout  the  house. 
Musing,  for  a  time,  upon  the  thoughts  suggested  by  the 
room  and  its  associations,  she  felt,  rather  than  saw, 
the  presence  of  her  father.  Instinctively,  she  reached 
across  the  table,  took  up  one  of  the  quills,  and  placed 
a  pad  of  paper  before  her.  The  next  morning-  her 
mother  found  her  sitting  in  the  library.  A  large  pile 
of  manuscript  lay  before  her,  in  her  father's  hand- 
writing, which,  on  being  sent  to  the  publisher,  was 
declared  to  be  in  his  own  elegant  form  of  composition. 
Subsequently,  on  many  other  occasions,  covering  a  space 
of  years,  the  same  thing  was  repeated,  although  in  and 
of  herself  she  was  unable  to  write  with  more  than  ordi- 
nary intelligence.  The  explanation  of  all  this,  from 


INSPIRATIONAL   MEDIUMSHIP.  145 

a  worldly  stand-point,  is  difficult,  but,  from  a  spiritual 
one,  quite  the  reverse,  since,  thinking  deeply  of  her 
father,  she  had  attracted  him  to  the  room  filled  with 
his  thoughts  and  permeated  with  his  magnetism ;  thus 
he  was  able  to  come  into  direct,  spiritual  relationship 
with  his  child,  and  inspire  her  mind  to  write  whatso- 
ever he  wished,  he,  without  doubt,  taking  more  in- 
terest in  the  production  of  the  work  than  those  who 
gained  the  benefit  thereafter. 

Actors  upon  the  stage  may  be  so  intensely  identified 
•  with  the  part  that  they  attract  the  very  historical  char- 
acters they  represent,  or,  if  not,  some  greater  interpreter 
of  human  emotions,  who  may  add  his  influence  to  their 
own.  These  artists  are  usually  of  a  highly  emotional 
nature,  and,  in  such  great  undertakings,  are  wholly 
incapacitated  for  social  relationship. 

William  Lloyd  Garrison  insisted  that  he  constantly 
felt  the  presence  of  John  Brown  during  all  the  latter 
years  of  his  work  in  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  Mrs. 
Browning,  in  writing  to  a  friend,  said,  "  the  external 
evidences  of  spiritual  life,  I  know  little  of,  but  there  are 
continual  interior  impressions,  and  suggestions,  that 
could  come  from  no  other  source,  and,  to  me,  are  most 
suggestive  and  conclusive." 

Warnings,  which  are  frequently  being  received  of 
events  to  occur,  some  of  ill-fortune  and  some  of  good, 
are  also  the  result  of  spirit  inspiration.  A  man  about 
to  take  a  railway  train  is,  for  some  inexplicable  reason, 
seized  with  a  desire  not  to  do  so.  He  returns  home, 
and,  the  next  morning,  reads  that  the  train  met  with  a 
severe  accident.  His  action  is  explicable  only  from  the 


146  MATERIALIZATION. 

spiritual  stand-point,  wherein    it    is  shown  that   some 
spirit  friend  saw  the  danger,  and  kept  him  out  of  it. 

Dreams  are  often  nothing  more  or  less  than  visita- 
tions from  the  spiritual  world ;  the  body,  being  far 
more  sensitive  when  in  repose,  allows  a  freer  action 
to  the  individual  spirit,  and  makes  such  impressions 
possible.  In  short,  if  man  would  carefully  study  him- 
self, he  would  find  that  the  spiritual  world  envelops 
him,  and  that  which  he  receives,  mentally  and  spiritually, 
is  but  the  result  of  its  action. 

M  ATERI ALIZATION. 

Materialization  is  the  power  by  which  a  disembodied 
spirit  is  enabled  to  temporarily  reclothe  itself  in  mate- 
rial form,  so  as  to  appear  like  unto  its  former  earthly 
embodiment.  Impossible  as  this  may  seem  to  be, 
thousands  of  well-authenticated  facts  could,  if  necessary, 
be  adduced.  The  ghost  who  haunts  the  church-yard  at 
night,  or  flits  by,  with  noiseless  tread,  over  the  stairway, 
is  a  modified  form  of  materialization.  There  are  three 
particular  factors  in  the  production  of  this  form  of 
manifestation :  the  medium,  the  investigators,  and  last, 
but  not  least,  the  operating  spirits.  The  medium  is 
usually  separated  from  the  investigators,  by  a  perfectly 
dark  cabinet,  which  serves  as  a  workshop  (or  the  spirits. 
The  medium  is  the  magnetic  centre  from  which  the  con- 
trols draw  a  large  amount  of  the  elements  used.  The 
investigators  are  seated  in  a  semi-dark  room,  and 
furnish,  also,  some  of  the  magnetic  qualities  that  are 
employed  in  the  production  of  the  manifestations.  It 


MATERIALIZATION.  147 

will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  there  should  be  as  little 
dissimilarity  of  temperament  and  mind  as  possible  among 
them.  Singing  is  usually  indulged  in,  so  that  the  com- 
pany may  be  brought  into  more  or  less  accord,  and,  in  a 
short  time,  magnetic  relations  are  established  between 
them  and  the  spirits  in  the  cabinet  workshop.  One  dis- 
cordant nature,  however,  will  be  sufficient  to  destroy  the 
entire  result,  and  persons  of  a  highly  nervous  or  emo- 
tional temperament,  or  those  suffering  from  any  physical 
disease,  should  not  sit  in  seances  of  this  kind.  Their 
condition  would  affect  and  disturb  the  manifestations, 
and,  although  gaining  for  themselves,  physically,  a  tem- 
porary stimulus  from  the  momentary  excitement,  they 
would,  in  reality,  lose  their  own  strength  and  power  in 
the  end.  After  sitting  quietly  for  a  few  moments  the 
spirit  chemists  are  able  to  draw  from  the  medium,  the 
sitters,  and  the  atmosphere,  a  certain  amount  of  mag- 
netic force,  which  they  are  enabled,  at  will,  to  pre- 
cipitate, and  under  their  manipulation  it  becomes  a 
solid  body.  The  elements  composing  this  body  are 
used  by  all  the  spirits  appearing  at  the  seance.  The 
moment  that  one  spirit  has  materialized  outside  the 
cabinet,  and,  in  a  measure,  accomplished  the  purpose  of 
his  coming,  he  returns,  and  instantly  the  body  is  dis- 
integrated, awaiting  the  impulse  of  some  other  spirit  to 
reform  itself  into  human  shape  again,  and  so  on,  and  on, 
until  there  have  been  known  to  appear  as  many  as 
twenty-five  or  thirty  fully  formed  materializations  in  an 
hour.  Not  that  there  were  any  new  magnetic  elements 
employed  after  the  first  materialization,  but  that  those 
which  had  already  been  collected  were  remoulded,  by 


148  MATERIALIZATION. 

the  will  of  the  manifesting  spirits,  into  such  shape  and 
form  as  would  best  express  their  purpose. 

That  all  spirits  will  bear  some  likeness  to  the  medium 
is  to  be  expected,  since,  from  that  source,  as  we  have 
said,  the  larger  amount  of  the  elements  used  are  sup- 
plied. It  will  be  seen  that  a  cabinet  is  a  necessity, 
since  light  is  a  positive  element  and  would  have  an  un- 
favorable effect  upon  the  negative  influences,  for  the 
same  reason  that  a  photographer  must  develop  his  plate 
in  a  dark  room  before  it  will  stand  the  light.  It  would 
be  impossible  to  precipitate  the  magnetic  wave,  referred 
to,  except  under  the  most  negative  condition. 

In  these  manifestations  the  spirits  take  on  forms  largely 
resembling  their  earthly  ones,  it  being  a  law  that  spirits 
returning  to  matter  shall  take  on  a  like  condition  to 
that  which  governed  them  when  leaving  the  material 
world.  Thus,  peculiarities  of  form,  figure  and  speech 
are  represented  with  wonderful  clearness  and  exactness. 
The  bible  student  will  find  in  the  return  of  Jesus,  after 
his  death,  a  parallel  to  all  this.  The  seance  in  the 
upper  chamber  resulted  in  a  materialization  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.  The  onlookers  accepted  it  as  such,  save 
one,  who  would  not  believe  his  own  eyes,  and  demanded 
that  some  proof,  other  than  that  offered,  should  be 
given  him.  He,  therefore,  was  called  to  the  spirit,  placed 
his  fingers  upon  the  wounded  side  and  hand,  and  thus 
his  doubts  were  dispelled  ;  at  which  the  spirit  gave  utter- 
ance to  these  memorable  words,  which  contain  the  gist 
of  a  great  spiritual  law  : 

"  Blessed  are  ye  who  have  seen  and  believe,  but  more 
blessed  are  ye  who  have  not  seen  and  yet  believe." 


MATERIALIZATION.  149 

Which  interpreted,  from  a  spiritual  stand-point,  is  that 
those  who  see  are  convinced  through  and  by  the  physical 
senses  only,  while  those  who  are  possessed  of  spiritual 
development  are  able  to  intuitively  apprehend  the  truth 
without  physical  or  ocular  demonstration. 

And  this  brings  us  to  the  subject  of  test  conditions, 
which  has  been  a  mooted  question  ever  since  the 
attempt  to  prove  a  continued  life  was  undertaken. 
Various  devices  and  clumsy  contrivances  have  been 
applied  to  mediums  to  prevent  fraud,  which,  if  the 
investigator  himself  had  been  spiritually  unfolded,  would 
have  been  wholly  unnecessary.  Ropes,  chains  and 
handcuffs  were  put  upon  mediums  with  the  idea  of 
preventing  them  from  practicing  any  deception,  for- 
getting that  the  very  state  of  mind  that  would  induce 
the  investigator  to  use  such  means  for  protection  would 
militate  against,  if  not  absolutely  prevent,  any  spiri- 
tual result.  Later,  an  extraordinary  invention,  called 
the  wire-cage,  has  been  introduced,  with  somewhat 
varying  results,  it  being  held  that  if  the  medium  was 
locked  in  the  wire  compartment  whatever  occurred 
outside  that  compartment  would  be  satisfactory  proof 
of  the  genuineness  of  the  materialization.  None  of 
these  devices  have  been  operated  with  any  great  degree 
of  success.  In  England,  where  physical  mediumship  is, 
in  'some  of  its  phases,  more  marked  than  in  America, 
more  careful  scientific  tests  have  been  applied  than 
elsewhere.  Prof.  Crooks,  F.  R.  S.,  applying  the  elec- 
trical test  with  the  register  attachment  upon  Florence 
Cook,  was  able  to  demonstrate  her  respirations  even, 
and  yet  the  manifestations  went  on  precisely  the  same. 


1 50  MATERIALIZATION. 

Some  of  the  unfavorable  results  of  all  this  testing  is 
the  spirit  of  curiosity  that  it  develops  in  the  mind  of 
the  investigator,  and  the  low  order  of  spirits  that  it  at- 
tracts. Surely  there  ought  to  be  and  there  is  a  better 
way  of  proving  immortality  than  by  resorting  to  hand- 
cuffs, ropes  and  locked  wire-cages,  which,  from  the  very 
outset,  presupposes  that  the  medium  is  a  trickster,  only 
waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  ply  his  trade.  It  is  not 
from  the  means  of  protection  against  fraud  that  any 
honest  conclusion  should  be  made,  but  it  is  from  the 
judgment  of  results,  after  every  condition  has  been  com- 
plied with,  that  the  truth  will  be  found.  The  evidence 
of  the  reality  of  this  manifestation  will  be  found  in  the 
personalities  of  the  spirits,  and  the  information  that 
they  impart,  rather  than  by  or  through  any  other 
means.  Mediums  desiring  to  obtain  the  best  results 
should  discriminate  as  to  the  individuals  they  admit  to 
their  seances. 

A  form  of  mediumship,  known  as  transfiguration,  will 
account  for  many  of  the  perplexing  demonstrations  that 
force  themselves  upon  the  attention  of  the  investigator, 
and  relieves  the  honest  medium  from  a  trying  situation, 
wherein  even  personal  integrity  as  well  as  mediumship 
itself  is  called  in  question.  By  this  we  mean  that  when 
the  cabinet  spirits  are  enabled  to  disassociate  the  mag- 
netic wave,  referred  to,  from  the  sphere  of  the  medium, 
or  to  gain,  from  other  sources,  all  the  direct  elements 
required  for  the  production  of  independent  materiali- 
zation, these  will,  upon  occasions,  take  possession  of  the 
body  of  the  medium,  change  every  line  of  his  face  and 
figure,  and  bring  him  out  of  the  cabinet,  and,  while  under 


MATERIALIZATION.  151 

control,  personate  first  one  spirit  and  then  another, 
carrying  the  idea  that  the  manifestation  is  what  it  pur- 
ports to  be  and  never,  by  suggestion  or  otherwise,  lead- 
ing those  present  to  understand  that  it  is  other  than 
the  direct  spiritual  embodiment.  The  possibility  of  this 
will  be  evident  to  any  person  who  has  ever  studied  the 
subject  in  the  least  degree,  and,  while  irritating  beyond 
expression,  is  none  the  less  a  fact,  which  compels  recog- 
nition ;  for,  if  a  spirit  has  the  power  to  entrance  the  brain 
and  speak  through  a  medium,  it  will  have  the  power 
to  make  that  medium  responsive  to  his  will,  and,  being 
desirous  of  coming  into  connection  with  earthly  friends, 
will  use  every  means  in  his  power  to  accomplish  that 
end.  When  such  is  the  case,  no  attention  must  be  paid 
to  anything  save  the  information  conveyed,  since  this 
manifestation  is  as  much  an  evidence  of  spirit  power 
as  is  any  other ;  the  only  trouble  being,  that  the  con- 
clusion the  investigator  is  left  to  form,  as  to  the  means 
employed,  is  erroneous.  This  result  occurs  only  when 
there  is  a  partially  developed  condition  of  mediumship, 
wherein  the  higher  guides  have  not  obtained  absolute 
control,  and  in  the  presence  of  strongly  hypnotic  per- 
sons, who  persistently  keep  their  minds  in  a  state  of 
positive  activity.  It  is  not  an  evidence,  necessarily, 
of  deceitful  intention  on  the  part  of  the  medium. 
It  is  probably  the  best  that  can  be  done  under  the 
conditions  furnished,  and,  in  a  further  study  of 
this  subject,  the  possibility  of  providing  better  sur- 
rounding and  more  responsive  elements  will  suggest 
itself. 

"  Is  there  not  much  fraud  in  mediumship  on  the  part 


MATERIALIZATION. 

of  those  who  assume  powers  of  which  they  are    not 
possessed  ?"  is  a  question  frequently  asked. 

Without  doubt  there  is.  It  would  be  impossible  to 
expect  that  in  this  age  of  the  world  spiritualism  would 
be  exempt  from  an  element  that  pervades  every  other 
department  of  life.  There  are  some  people,  without 
doubt,  who  have  stolen  the  livery  of  heaven  to  serve  the 
devil  in,  but  they  are  sure  to  come  to  grief  in  a  short 
time,  and  do  comparatively  little  harm  save  to  them- 
selves. In  the  present  chaotic  state  of  the  spiritualistic 
movement  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  have  a  careful 
classification,  either  of  manifestations  or  laws,  upon 
which  results  depend. 


153 


UPON 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congreu,  In  the  year  1893,  by  AUGUST*  W.  FLITCBIB,  M.  D., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  CongrtM  at  Washington.) 

We  hinted,  in  the  previous  article,  that  there  should  be 
a  class  of  mediumship  wherein  the  peculiarities  of  those 
possessed  of  psychic  powers  should  become  the  subject 
of  thought  and  consideration,  and  a  line  of  study,  or  edu- 
cation, followed  which  should  serve  to  unfold  them  to 
their  fullest  capacity.  Up  to  the  present  moment  those 
who  are  possessed  of  the  power  happen  to  have  it. 
How  it  can  be  developed,  and  what  is  its  intent  and  pur- 
pose, they  know  nothing  at  all  about.  They  simply  drift, 
carried  along  by  the  force  of  its  current,  approximating, 
only,  the  great  good  that  might  be  accomplished  by  using 
their  powers  as  a  means  of  livelihood,  on  the  one  hand, 
or  as  a  gratification  of  morbid  curiosity  on  the  other. 
We  do  not  mean  to  say  by  this  that  there  have  not 
been  men  and  women  inspired  by  a  great  and  noble 
motive  in  their  work,  but  we  do  assert  that  the  majority 
of  mediums  have  not  been  able  to  move  out  of  the 
sphere  of  their  own  personal  exigencies,  and  that  their 
mediumship  was  valuable  only  so  far  as  it  conduced 
to  the  accomplishment  of  personal  ends.  This  must 
always  be  the  case  until  the  spiritualist  more  fully 
comprehends  that  he  has  something  to  do  beside 
enjoy  his  religion,  which  means  visiting  mediums 
occasionally,  now  and  then  subscribing  small  sums  to 


154  REMARKS   UPON    MEDIUMSHIP. 

charities,  but  doing  nothing  for  the  upbuilding  of  the 
movement,  or  the  promulgation  of  the  truth.  The 
Methodist,  Baptist  and  Salvation  Armyist  are  infinitely 
more  interested  in  spreading  their  ideas  broadcast  than 
is  the  ordinary  spiritualist,  who,  on  Sunday,  is  more  fre- 
quently found  occupying  the  pew  of  some  liberal 
church  where  the  tendency  is  spiritualistic  than  in  sup- 
porting meetings  where  his  own  ideas  are  taught  and 
explained.  In  fact,  with  a  few  honorable  exceptions, 
spiritualism,  during  the  last  half  century,  has  rested 
upon  the  shoulders  of  its  public  mediums,  who  are 
expected  to  support  themselves  through  their  medium- 
ship,  or  other  avenues,  and,  in  many  cases,  give  their 
services  for  the  benefit  of  societies,  instead  of  receiving 
any  direct  benefit  in  return.  This  is  in  exact  reversal 
of  the  system  existing  in  other  bodies,  formed  with 
like  purposes  in  view.  During  the  years  of  success- 
ful mediumship  a  medium  is  bound  to  receive  atten- 
tion and  general  support  from  the  spiritualists,  but,  in  a 
moment  when,  through  untoward  conditions,  he  makes 
a  mistake,  and  his  name  catches  the  shadow,  the  outside 
world  is  more  generous  in  its  sympathies  than  are  the 
spiritualists  themselves.  It  would  appear  as  if  the 
spiritualists  were  willing  to  take  all  the  glory,  without 
bearing  any  of  the  responsibility. 

This  is  particularly  illustrated  at  the  summer  camp- 
meetings,  where  thousands  of  people  act  the  part  of 
zealous  spiritualists,  and  take  positions  upon  the  govern- 
ing boards,  while  at  home,  in  their  own  town,  they  rarely, 
if  ever,  mention  the  subject,  and  their  next  door  neigh- 
bors are  not  sure  that  they  have  ever  heard  of  it. 


REMARKS    UI'ON    MKDUMSHII'.  153 

Their  excuse  is  that  it  might  hurt  their  business,  or 
their  social  position,  which  is  a  poor  one  when  weighed 
against  the  value  of  the  truth.  At  these  camp  meetings 
much  good  can  be  done  when  guided  by  intelligent 
minds  in  the  body,  who,  in  turn,  would  be  assisted  by 
intelligent  minds  out  of  the  body.  But,  thus  far,  they 
have  done  little  more  than  mix  together  balloon  ascen- 
sions, skating  rinks  and  spiritual  manifestations,  to  the 
extent  that  the  managers  are  more  interested  in  catch- 
ing each  flying  penny  than  in  upbuilding  the  movement. 
Such  places  should  be  schools  of  spiritual  thought, 
where  serious  minded  people  could  go  and,  while  enjoy- 
ing the  beauty  of  the  natural  scenery,  study  that  most 
profound  of  philosophies,  modern  spiritualism.  The  best 
minds  should  be  invited  to  appear,  and  both  sides  of  all 
subjects  receive  a  fair  and  dispassionate  hearing.  The 
platform  should  be  governed  by  unprejudiced  persons, 
and  the  personal  animosities  of  an  ignorant  president 
should  not  be  sufficient  to  stop  any  intelligent  speaker. 
In  fact,  there  appears  to  be  two  kinds  of  spiritualism, 
one  which  is  conducted  from  a  questionable  position, 
with  the  spiritual  world  left  out,  and  the  other  where 
there  is  an  attempt  to  follow  the  teachings  of  the 
higher  spirits.  Wherever  the  latter  is  done  the  very 
best  results  follow,  while  the  former  is  destined  to  end 
in  chaos  and  disgrace.  In  admitting  the  possession  of 
spiritual  powers  by  any  person  the  least  that  can  be 
done  is  to  give  a  respectful  hearing  to  whatever  is  said, 
using  it,  or  not,  as  the  occasion  and  judgment  shall 
decide  ;  but  some  spiritualists  seem  to  be  willing  to 
accept  nothing,  from  the  spiritual  world  even,  unless  it 


156  REMARKS   UPON   MEDIUMSHIP. 

contains  a  reproduction  of  their  own  peculiar  views. 
We  remember,  some  years  ago,  being  present  at  one  of 
these  out-of-door  meetings  when  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  speakers  and  mediums  that  has  ever  graced 
the  movement  arose  to  give  an  address,  under  the  con- 
trol of  his  spirit  guides.  During  the  speech  much 
needed  and  wholesome  advice  was  administered  to  the 
management.  No  sooner  had  he  finished  than  a  man, 
who  afterward  proved  to  be  an  editor  of  a  pseudo 
spiritualistic  journal,  rushed  upon  the  platform,  shook 
his  fists  in  the  face  of  the  speaker  and  called  his  guides 
political  liars.  Strange  to  say,  the  president  supported 
this  ruffianly  assailant,  and  the  speaker  was  not  allowed 
to  appear  again  upon  the  platform.  The  wildest  con- 
fusion ensued,  and  the  audience,  numbering  thousands, 
left  the  auditorium  angry  and  disgusted.  Our  position 
is,  that  the  spiritualists  should  be  at  oneness  with  their 
mediums,  that  the  interests  of  one  are  the  interests  of 
all,  that  there  should  be  no  selfish  or  party  feeling, 
that  the  platform  should  be  open  to  all  who  have 
a  truth  to  speak,  and  that,  instead  of  silencing  one  by 
force,  kindly  logic  should  be  employed.  Such  is  the 
counsel  of  those  who  are  wise  in  the  spiritual  world. 

If  there  could  be  a  more  careful  classification  of 
mediumistic  powers,  a  more  thoughtful  study  of  the 
laws  governing  their  use,  and  a  closer  affiliation,  on 
the  part  of  the  spiritualists,  with  the  work  of  the 
moment,  many  of  the  failures  now  so  common  would 
be  avoided,  and  spiritualism  would  take  its  rightful 
place  among  the  great  educators  of  the  world.  The 
investigator  would  be  able  to  learn  where  to  find  what 


REMARKS   UPON    MEDIUMSHIP.  157 

he  required,  and  the  student  would  avoid  that  confusion 
of  ideas  which  is  brought  about  by  the  instruction  re- 
ceived from  unintelligent  and  unformed  minds.  The  in- 
vestigator of  to-day  often  turns  away  entirely  discour- 
aged by  the  conflicting  opinions  of  those  from  whom  he 
is  seeking  information.  So  little,  in  fact,  is  known  of  the 
nature  of  mediumship  that  most  public  mediums  find 
themselves,  on  the  one  hand,  supported  by  a  band  of 
followers,  and,  on  the  other,  pursued  by  another 
whose  virulence  is  as  deteriorating  in  its  effect  as  the 
respect  of  friends  is  stimulating.  And  yet  both  classes 
call  themselves  spiritualists,  and  talk  glibly  enough 
about  universal  brotherhood  and  the  glories  of  the  har- 
moneal  philosophy.  When  there  shall  be  a  legitimate 
organization  among  spiritualists,  a  standard  of 
mediumship,  and  a  comprehension  of  its  laws  and  pur- 
poses, all  these  dangers  will  be  avoided.'  But  until  that 
happy  time,  which  seems  almost  Utopian,  things  will 
move  on  in  about  the  same  channel  as  they  formerly 
have  done. 

In  the  above  we  have  but  sought  to  give  a  timely 
suggestion.  That  it  may  disturb  many  to  whom  it 
applies  is  to  be  expected,  but  we  feel  that  every  un- 
prejudiced mind  will  see  its  value  and  admit  its  justness. 

We  cannot  leave  the  subject  of  mediumship 
without  referring  to  many  of  the  attempts  to  investi- 
gate, that  have  been  made  by  societies  and  committees 
entirely  outside  of  it.  The  report  of  the  Seybert  com- 
mission, for  which  the  public  looked  with  some  interest, 
was  as  disappointing  as  it  was  non-conclusive.  Without 
doubt  Henry  Seybert,  when  he  was  leaving  his  money  to 


158  REMARKS   UPON   MEDIUMSHIP. 

the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  for  the  establishing  of  a 
chair  of  philosophy  which  should  devote  a  certain 
amount  of  time  to  the  investigation  of  psychical  subjects, 
and  spiritualism  in  particular,  believed  that  he  would 
render  a  future  age  valuable  service.  When  this  com- 
mission started  out  with  the  idea  of  proving  the  falsity 
rather  than  the  truth  of  the  subject  they  plainly  de- 
monstrated their  own  incapacity.  Instead  of  associa- 
ting themselves  with  reputable  persons,  who  had  given 
the  subject  years  of  attention  and  thought,  they  ruled 
them  out  as  incompetent ;  and  their  report  is  simply  a 
conglomeration  of  experiences  with  professional  presti- 
digitators and  a  few  mediums  who,  for  the  most  part, 
were  foolish  enough  to  attempt  any  manifestations  under 
the  unfavorable  conditions  furnished.  They  started 
out  with  two  or  three  clumsily  constructed  supposititious 
spiritual  personalities,  and  sought  to  gain  communica- 
tion with  them,  all  the  while  knowing  that  no  such  per- 
sons had  ever  existed ;  and  the  report  shows  that, 
however  great  humbuggery  there  may  be  in  spiritual- 
ism, there  was  not  a  little  hypocrisy  and  deceit  among 
the  professors  at  the  University.  Honest  they  may 
have  been,  but  intelligent  and  honorable  they  were  not. 
Following  these,  a  society  for  psychical  research  was 
formed,  which  began  by  ignoring  spiritual  mediumship 
altogether,  and,  after  meandering  on  its  way  for  some 
time,  turned  its  attention  to  the  study  of  apparitions  in 
graveyards,  and  finally  ended  its  career  by  burying 
itself  therein. 

Out   of   this,  indirectly,  the   psychical  society  grew, 
which    is    largely    made     up     of     clever     clergymen 


REMARKS   UPON   MEDIUMSHIP.  159 

who,  seeing  the  tendency  of  the  age,  wish  to  pre- 
pare themselves  so  that  they  will  be  able  to  jump  in 
time.  In  the  published  book  called  "  Psychical  Facts," 
by  the  Rev.  Minot  Savage,  this  clergyman  has  car- 
ried on  his  investigations  with  more  or  less  zest ;  but 
he  was  careful  not  to  endorse  his  own  conclusions 
and  experiences,  for  fear  of  being  called  a  spiritualist, 
before  the  auspicious  moment  arrived.  We  would  say 
to  these  gentlemen,  in  all  kindness,  if  your  own  form 
of  religion  be  satisfactory  and  true,  why  bother  with 
spiritualism,  and,  if  it  is  not,  why  not  give  it  up  and 
devote  yourselves  to  something  that  is.  Again,  having 
raised  a  standard  by  which  the  claims  of  spiritualism 
should  be  measured,  and  having  declared  that  every 
step  taken  by  you  must  be  proven  beyond  peradventure, 
is  it  wrong  for  the  spiritualists  to  demand  the  same 
proof  of  the  claims  that  you  have  been  making  during 
the  past  century,  and  ask  a  demonstration  as  absolute 
for  your  statements  as  you  demand  for  theirs?  And 
shall  not  the  clergyman  who  cannot  give  them  be 
deemed  as  much  a  deceiver  and  a  fraud  as  a  medium 
who  offers  spurious  manifestations,  claiming  them  to  be 
genuine?  We  do  not  say  this  in  any  captious  spirit 
whatever,  but  only  as  a  matter  of  self-justification. 

Strange  to  say  that,  among  the  investigating  clergy- 
men referred  to,  many  are  psychics  possessing  various 
phases  of  mediumship  in  different  degrees  of  develop- 
ment ;  and  the  zeal  with  which  they  enter  into  these 
investigations  has  been  largely  created  by  their  previous 
knowledge  of  the  philosophy  of  spiritualism,  and  their 
high  regard  for  its  moral  and  religious  worth.  It  takes 


l6o  REMARKS   UPON   MEDIUMSHIP. 

a  rogue  to  fully  appreciate  an  honest  man,  and  this  can 
be  well  adapted  to  these  psychical  investigators,  many 
of  whom  have  been  fitted  for  their  high  calling  in  the 
Spiritualistic  Lyceum,  or  financially  enabled  to  obtain 
their  education  by  some  large-hearted  spiritualist.  Thus 
they  are  in  a  position,  from  the  start,  to  judge  well  of 
the  dearth  of  truth  which  is  generally  found  in  theology, 
and  the  wealth  of  knowledge  contained  in  the  philos- 
ophy which,  for  prudential  reasons,  they  have  left  behind 
them. 

It  takes  a  philosopher  to  appreciate  a  philosophy; 
and,  instead  of  psychical  societies  furnishing  clergymen 
to  detect  fraud,  we  are  led  to  hope,  from  our  knowledge 
of  the  situation,  that  they  are  providing  well-trained 
minds,  who,  knowing  the  worth  of  spiritualism,  are  the 
better  prepared,  because  of  their  theological  training, 
to  find  the  real  gems  hidden  in  the  mine  of  this  gigantic 
truth. 

Spiritualism  invites  honest  enquiry  and  investigation, 
but  not  in  the  patronizing  spirit  that  has,  thus  far,  influ- 
enced societies  of  this  kind,  who,  if  their  investigations 
are  successful,  would  only  be  recognizing  what  is  already 
apparent  to  more  than  eleven  millions  of  people. 


PART  XI. 
THE050PHY    AND    OWJLTKSM. 


THECXSOPrlY    AND 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Cougrew,  ID  the  yeu  18(3,  by  AfourrA  W.  FLCTCMB,  If .  D., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Coapnm  *t  WMhfogtoB.) 

Following  in  the  footsteps  of  modern  Spiritualism, 
Theosophy  and  Occultism,  together  with  its  much 
weaker  sister,  Christian  Science,  have  reared  their  heads 
and  insist  upon  a  hearing. 

The  Theosophist  declares  that  he  has  no  connection 
with  the  Spiritualists,  but  has,  instead,  a  resuscitation  of 
ancient  religions  in  modern  days.  With  the  majority 
of  the  world  this  assumption  has  much  weight,  but,  to 
those  who  know  the  alpha  and  omega  of  the  theosoph- 
ical  movement,  it  is  a  trifle  amusing.  Theosophy  which, 
we  are  told,  defines  itself  as  being  God-wisdom — as  if  all 
wisdom  were  not  God-like — found  its  first  exponent  in 
Helen  Blavatsky  and  her  good-man-friday,  Col.  Henry 
Olcott,  while  sojourning  at  the  Eddy  Home,  in  Chit- 
tenden,  Vermont,  for  specific  spiritual  demonstrations 
in  the  form  of  materialization.  The  idea  of  giving  to 
these  demonstrations  an  intelligent  bearing  suggested 
itself  to  these  clever  people,  that  is  to  say,  the  attendant 
spirits  at  the  cabinet  suggested  to  them  that  the  time 
had  come  when  Spiritualism  should  take  its  place  among 
the  religions  of  the  world.  Blavatsky,  concerning 
whose  life  very  little  is  known,  and  whose  career,  from 
her  own  stand-point,  seemed  to  have  covered  more  years 
than  are  given  to  most  people  to  live,  was  familiar  with 


164  THEOSOPHY   AND   OCCULTISM. 

the  religions  of  the  East,  and  also  was  well  read  in 
several  different  languages.  What  she  lacked  in  worldly 
knowledge  Col.  Olcott,  through  his  newspaper  report- 
ing, was  able  to  supply,  consequently  these  two  people 
returned  to  New  York  City,  called  a  meeting  of  influen- 
tial Spiritualists  at  the  house  of  a  Spiritualist,  and  then 
and  there  started  the  Theosophical  movement.  Being 
unable  to  govern  matters  as  they  wished,  and  not  seeing 
the  possibility  for  personal  notoriety  which  they  desired, 
these  two  aforesaid  individuals  branched  off  from  the 
society  which  they  had  instituted,  and  were  soon 
launched  out  upon  the  sea  of  speculative  thought. 
Naturally  they  attracted  considerable  attention,  not 
from  the  things  that  they  were  able  to  accomplish,  but 
from  the  promises  they  made  of  future  miracles.  Then 
Blavatsky  wrote  "  Isis  Unveiled,"  which  book  served  to 
envelop  "  Isis  "  more  completely  than  all  the  mysticism 
of  the  past  had  ever  done.  The  volume  is  interesting, 
however,  from  a  literary  stand-point  at  least,  and  some 
of  its  chapters  are  valuable  for  what  they  suggest,  rather 
than  what  they  contain.  The  book  shows  throughout 
a  most  incomplete  grasp  of  the  subject,  and  no  purpose 
whatever,  save,  perhaps,  as  a  means  of  venting  spite 
upon  all  forms  of  the  Christian  religion.  Then  Madam 
Blavatsky  and  Col.  Olcott  sailed  away  to  India,  and 
planted  the  standard  of  the  movement  at  Adyar,  where 
the  Theosophical  temple  now  is.  "  Then  this  same 
Blavatsky  began  to  figure  as  an  independent  wonder- 
worker, performing,  in  a  clumsy  way,  a  number  of 
miracles  which  accomplished  little  more  than  to  prove 
that  she  had  but  a  small  possession  of  occult  power; 


THEOSOPHY   AND   OCCULTISM.  165 

and  yet  she  was  a  woman  of  great  magnetic  attrac- 
tion, strength  of  will,  and  a  personality  made  of  so 
many  peculiarities,  that  she  was  bound  to  attract  atten- 
tion wherever  she  moved.  From  India  she  went  to 
London  and  various  parts  of  Europe,  and  Theosophy, 
having  developed  in  its  intellectual  scope,  began  to  at- 
tract more  attention  still.  Its  principal  thoughts  were 
the  brotherhood  of  man  and  the  fatherhood  of  God, 
and  a  positive  theory  of  reincarnation.  These  have 
always  been  held  by  advanced  Spiritualists,  although, 
dressed  up  in  new  phraseology,  they  had  the  appear- 
ance of  original  ideas.  But  the  Theosophist  made 
a  strong  point  against  mediumship  and  insisted  that 
there  should  be  a  discontinuance  of  it,  advancing  many 
strange  theories  in  connection  with  the  subject,  which 
are  altogether  too  ephemeral  to  discuss,  but  they  added 
a  new  power  which  the  spiritualists  had  not  before  con- 
sidered, namely,  that  of  adeptship ;  declaring  that  in- 
stead of  persons  being  controlled  by  spirits,  their  efforts 
should  be  to  control  them.  And  thus  Blavatsky,  and 
others,  claim  that  they  hold  domination  over  lower  dis- 
embodied spirits,  who  infest  the  atmosphere,  and  are 
especially  appointed  to  do  their  bidding. 

This  idea  renders  certain  orders  of  spirits  amenable 
to  the  hypnotic  control  of  those  who  are  in  the  body, 
and  who  are  able  to  subject  these  spirits  to  themselves 
and,  in  the  accomplishment  of  any  purpose,  to  use  them 
as  so  many  slaves.  Indeed,  the  entire  teaching  of  The- 
osophy  seems  to  be  in  this  direction,  and  whether  you 
begin  at  the  primary  step  or  work  your  way  up  alone, 
it  has  but  the  one  object  in  view,  namely,  of  becoming 


1 66  THEOSOPHV   AND   OCCULTISM. 

a  master,  which  object  is  attained  only  through  great 
self-sacrifice  and  a  development  of  the  powers  of  the 
human  will. 

Many,  of  course,  will  start  out  with  the  idea  that  this 
is  easy  of  accomplishment  and,  in  the  early  stages  of 
their  endeavor,  feel  most  confident  of  attaining  the 
desired  end.  But  beyond  learning  a  few  laws,  and 
trying  a  number  of  inconsequential  experiments,  they 
fail  to  transcend  the  powers  of  the  ordinary  mortal. 
There  are  others  seemingly  gifted  in  this  direction 
who  are  able  to  exert  an  influence  which,  while  its 
source  may  be  questioned,  its  presence  is  undoubted. 
From  the  moment  such  an  one  enters  the  room  a 
something  is  perceptible,  and  in  conversation,  manner, 
and  movement  this  impression  is  conveyed.  That  it 
may  be  purely  hypnotic  is  possible,  and  that  much  that 
is  said  to  occur  in  the  presence  of  a  master  is  due  to 
this  cause  is  quite  likely,  yet  the  Theosophists  insist 
that  the  lower  spirits  pervade  the  earth,  and  that  the 
earthly  atmosphere  and  attendant  conditions  above  it 
can  be  subjugated  by  their  superior  will. 

So,  when  Blavatsky  transferred  a  cigarette  from  Cal- 
cutta, behind  a  picture  in  the  Louvre,  in  Paris,  she  simply 
took  the  dainty  article  from  her  case,  tossed  it  into  the 
air  and  one  of  these  invisible  adjuncts  of  her  will  did  the 
rest.  When,  at  a  picnic  party,  an  extra  cup  and  saucer 
was  wanted,  and  Blavatsky  ordered  an  attendant  to  dig 
in  the  garden,  where  he  found  it,  it  was  because  one  of 
these  invisible  beings,  having  been  told  by  Blavatsky 
that  it  would  be  wanted,  had  previously  buried  it,  and 
although,  shortly  after,  Madame  and  Monsieur  Coulomb 


THEOSOPHV    AM.   iKXUI.TISM.  167 

positively  declared  that  they  had  been  employed  to 
arrange  these  wonders,  they  were  at  once  discredited 
by  all  true  theosophists,  although  their  assertions  were 
established  by  overwhelming  evidence. 

It  is  the  aim  and  object  of  every  theosophist  to 
become  an  adept,  to  make  himself  a  positive  rather 
than  a  negative,  and  to  govern  rather  than  be  ruled. 
Another  curious  idiosyncrasy  of  this  body  is  that  some- 
where in  the  Himalaya  Mountains  there  is  a  brother- 
hood known  as  the  Mahatmas  who  are,  in  reality,  the 
governing  power  of  this  movement.  These  extraordi- 
nary brothers  are  said  to  appear  and  disappear  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  world  at  will,  but  no  one  has  ever 
seen  them,  and  their  existence  rests  upon  the  baseless 
assertion  of  the  Blavatsky  satellites,  whose  only  evi- 
dence of  their  existence  is  the  result  of  the  fiction  of 
her  wonderfully  constructive  and  imaginative  brain. 
And  yet  we  cannot  leave  this  subject  without  saying 
that  the  motif  of  theosophy  is  a  great  and  good  one ; 
that  the  intellectual  ability  of  many  of  its  followers  has 
added  many  contributions  to  the  thought  of  the  day, 
and  that,  in  a  more  modified  form,  it  is  bound  to  lead 
a  certain  class  of  minds,  at  least,  to  the  acceptance  of  a 
more  universal  form  of  religion.  In  short,  we  think  it 
can  be  justly  said  that  theosophy  is  the  intellectual  part 
of  spiritualism,  and  that  spiritualism  is  the  emotional 
side  of  Theosophy.  This  will  be  readily  seen  when  both 
the  phenomena  and  philosophy  of  Spiritualism — imper- 
fectly developed  though  they  may  be  in  their  present 
state — are  carefully  considered  and  analyzed. 

The  teaching  of  advanced  spirits,  through  their  chosen 


l68  THEOSOPHY   AND    OCCULTISM. 

instruments,  are  nearly  similar  to  the  purpose  and  object 
with  which  theosophy  claims  to  identify  itself,  while  the 
phenomena  that  has  so  marked  the  present  century,  is 
in  keeping  with  anything  that  the  adept  has  thus  far 
been  able  to  offer ;  the  difference  appearing  to  be  only 
as  to  the  source  from  which  that  power  springs. 

It  would  seem  as  foolish  for  the  Theosophist  and 
the  Spiritualist  to  quarrel,  as  for  the  Unitarian  and  the 
Universalist.  All  are  really  journeying  on  the  same 
road  together,  with  the  same  point  in  view,  differing 
only  in  some  minor  interpretations,  which  do  not  affect 
the  main  object  of  the  journey. 

That  Spiritualism  has  been  largely  confined  to  a  dem- 
onstration of  the  phenomena,  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
human  minds,  no  matter  how  conclusive  the  theory  may 
be,  require  some  external  evidence  before  they  are  able 
to  accept  the  claims  made.  The  realms  of  this  philos- 
ophy have  not  thus  far  been  traversed  extensively  by  the 
Spiritualist ;  he  has  not  theorized  to  any  great  extent 
upon  the  higher  aspects  of  spiritual  law ;  consequently, 
the  Theosophist  in  entering  into  this  domain  of  human 
interest,  finds  himself  untrammeled  in  his  speculations, 
and  is  left  free  to  construct  almost  any  theory  that  may 
suggest  itself.  It  will  be  for  the  coming  century  to  sift 
these  theories,  which  we  are  free  to  say,  in  many  instan- 
ces, are  far  from  being  authoritative,  and  separate 
them  as  the  wheat  from  the  chaff.  If  he  can  throw  a 
stronger  light  upon  the  phenomena  of  Spiritualism,  and 
demonstrate  that  they  are  produced  by  any  other  law 
than  that  which  is  claimed,  he  will  not  only  render 
the  general  public  a  service,  but  also  every  Spiritualist 


THEOSOPHY   AND   OCCULTISM.  169 

• 

whose  object  is  to  gain  the  truth,  no  matter  at  what 
cost.  We  find,  however,  as  much  divergence  of  opinion 
among  Theosophists  as  elsewhere  ;  and  the  inquirer  be- 
comes mystified  amidst  a  whirlwind  of  conflicting  state- 
ments, which  leave  him  in  doubt  as  to  just  what  is  the 
ultimate  good.  This  is  incidental  to  the  forming  of  any 
new  system  of  thought,  and  will  go  on  until  prejudice 
has  eliminated  personal  animosities,  overcome  jealousies 
and  created  a  desire  for  the  highest  and  best,  not  only 
in  speaking,  but  in  thinking  and  living,  which  shall  be- 
come the  central  purposes  of  every  life.  Theosophy 
and  Occultism  are  to  Spiritualism  what  algebra  and  ge- 
ometry are  to  the  multiplication  table. 

So  far  as  Christian  Science  is  concerned,  too  much 
cannot  be  said  for  its  work,  especially  among  religiously 
inclined  people.  It  has  been  to  such  minds  invaluable, 
and,  while  derided  by  the  church,  and  laughed  at  by 
the  public,  it  has  gone  on  its  way  accomplishing  the 
the  greatest  amount  of  good  for  a  certain  class  of 
minds.  It  teaches  that  influences  of  all  kinds  move  in 
waves,  and  that,  through  thought,  the  individual  places 
himself  in  relationship  with  any  one  of  these,  which  pro- 
duces an  effect  according  to  its  nature  and  kind  ;  good 
thoughts  producing  health,  and  bad  thoughts  resulting 
in  what  is  called  disease.  It  insists,  however,  that  all 
persons  may  be  well  and  happy  if  they  only  put  them- 
selves into  proper  relationship  with  the  great  central 
spirit  of  all  good.  The  idea  of  a  devil,  or  a  power  of 
evil,  is  deemed  both  unchristian  and  unscientific,  there 
being  but  one  supreme  power  in  the  universe.  This 
effort  to  get  at  the  universal  is  a  valuable  one  for  that 


I/O  THEOSOPHV    AND    OCCULTISM. 

class  of  individuals  who  have  just  begun  to  think,  and 
are  not  able  to  stand  independent  of  the  church,  re- 
membering, always,  that  children  must  first  be  fed  upon 
milk  before  they  are  ready  for  strong  food,  and,  also, 
that  the  majority  of  the  world  have,  as  yet,  only  just 
been  born,  mentally.  Further  on,  when  the  alphabet 
has  been  learned,  each  will  begin  to  think  and  act  for 
himself,  and  then  the  thoughts  of  others  will  be  valuable 
only  in  their  suggestiveness. 

Are  we  wrong  in  saying  that  modern  spiritualism  is 
the  tree,  and  that  Theosophy,  Occultism  and  Christian 
Science  are  a  few  of  the  many  branches  that  grow 
thereon  ? 


FART    XII. 

OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE. 
THE  SUICIDE'S  STORY. 


'73 


OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE. 

(Entered  according  to  Act  nt  Congress,  In  tbe  year  1S»S,  by  ACOC»TA  W.  FLITCH**,  U.D., 
in  the  office  of  tbe  Librarian  of  Congrm  at  Waihington.) 

It  is  well,  perhaps,  in  a  work  of  this  kind,  to  refer, 
although  briefly,  to  those  conditions  that  affect  the 
state  of  affairs  on  earth,  and  which  exert  an  unfavorable 
influence  over  those  who  are  in  the  spiritual  world. 
Passing  from  this  life  to  the  higher  life,  through  the 
action  of  a  natural  law,  is  one  thing  ;  being  precipitated 
into  that  life  by  accident  or  any  of  the  attendant  evils 
of  life,  looked  upon  as  being  outside  of  nature,  is  quite 
another.  There  being  a  certain  purpose  to  be  out- 
worked in  every  human  life,  whatever  interferes  with 
that  purpose  is  bound  to  produce  an  effect  which  will 
reflect  itself  unfavorably  upon  those  conditions  which 
follow  after.  The  sudden  cutting  off  of  life  is  bound  to 
react  in  this  way,  and  those  spirits  who  are  hurled  into 
eternity  while  yet  the  earth  holds  strength  and  positive 
attractions  for  them  are  bound  to  be  held  to  the  sphere 
of  their  earthly  life  until  they  have  withdrawn  from  it 
all  the  requisite  magnetic  conditions  upon  which  the  de- 
velopment of  their  spirit  so  much  depends.  Through 
the  process  of  disease  the  magnetic  rays,  which  hold  the 
spirit  to  the  body,  are  gradually  disconnected  from  it, 
and  when  the  spirit  enters  in  upon  its  spiritual  estate  it 
finds  that  the  spiritual  body  has  already  been  built  up, 
and  is  waiting  for  its  conning.  That  sickness  and  pain 


1/4     OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL,  LIFE. 

are  the  processes  of  nature  through  which  this  object  is 
attained  is  true,  and  while  death,  seemingly,  means  a 
great  change  to  the  spirit,  it,  in  reality,  is  no  more  in  its 
action  than  the  transplanting  of  a  flower  from  one 
garden  to  another.  But,  even  in  the  case  where  the 
patient  lingers  on  the  border  land  for  some  time, 
the  magnetic  conditions  are  not  completed  on  the 
instant,  and,  while  the  magnetic  centre  has  left  a  physi- 
cal body  and  attracted  to  itself  the  stronger  elements 
out  of  which  the  spiritual  body  is  built,  it  still  continues 
to  draw  from  that  physical  body  other  requisite  ele- 
ments ;  and  this  may  extend  over  a  term  of  years.  In 
fact,  so  long  as  the  body  retains  any  distinctive  rela- 
tionship to  nature,  it  is  bound  to  exert  some  influ- 
ence over  the  spirit.  Thus  anything  that  will  interfere 
with  her  direct  action  will  produce  a  result  and  effect 
upon  the  spirit  itself.  Everything  should  be  left  to 
nature,  so  far  as  possible,  and  in  this  wise  she  will 
furnish  a  solution  of  the  problem  which,  without  her 
aid,  is  bound  to  be  a  complicated  one. 

Cremation,  which  is  coming  somewhat  to  the  front  in 
the  present  day,  is,  without  doubt,  the  best  means  of 
freeing  the  spirit  from  all  earthly  conditions.  For  it 
severs  the  magnetic  relationship  which  has  been  so  long 
established,  and  is  bound,  in  spite  of  everything,  to 
assert  itself  for  a  long  time.  There  are  very  many  who 
have  a  repugnance  to  cremation,  feeling  that  burning 
the  body  is  a  most  inhuman  method.  We  have  ob- 
served that  those  who  calmly  insist  that  the  souls  of 
sinners  must  be  burned  for  an  eternity  pause  and  hesi- 
tate whenever  the  subject  of  incineration  is  introduced. 


OTHKK  CONDITIONS   IN    Mil.  SIMKIIIAI     I. IKK.      1/5 

\\  c  do  not  propose  to  advance  any  argument  for  this 
process  from  the  stand-point  of  the  living,  as  to  health, 
etc.,  although  much  could  be  said  upon  the  subject,  but 
rather  to  deal  with  the  spiritual  side  of  it,  and  to 
unqualifiedly  state  that  the  moment  that  the  body  is 
reduced  to  ashes  it  ceases  to  attract  or  affect  the  spirit 
in  the  least  degree.  It  immediately  releases  all  the 
elements  held  in  bondage  to  it,  and  gives  it  a  freedom 
which,  otherwise,  it  might  take  years  to  attain.  When 
this  is  understood  in  all  its  bearings  it  will  be  looked 
upon  as  a  duty  to  the  dead,  rather  than  as  a  protection 
to  the  living. 

It  is  our  purpose,  however,  to  speak  of  a  class  of 
spirits  who  are  held  to  the  earth  by  purely  physical  con- 
ditions, and  who  are  called  earth-bound.  Wraiths, 
ghosts  and  apparitions  all  belong  to  this  class,  and  are 
usually  held  to  some  one  spot  whereon  the  tragedy  of 
their  life  was  enacted.  It  is  not  from  choice  that  they 
remain  in  such  scenes,  not  from  choice  that  they  appear 
and  disappear  at  given  intervals,  but  from  the  action  of 
a  law  over  which  they  have  no  control  whatever.  Such 
spirits  are  not  recognized  as  being  either  advanced  or 
unfolded,  or  as  returning  with  any  definite  or  distinct 
purpose  ;  but  rather  the  state  of  the  individual  makes 
it  possible  for  him  to  apprehend  their  presence,  to 
recognize  their  personality,  and  sometimes,  briefly,  to 
hold  communion  with  them.  They,  for  a  passage  of 
time,  more  or  less,  are  attracted  to  a  given  place,  from 
whose  influence  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  escape. 
The  reason  for  this  is  apparent  when  it  is  understood 
that  the  condition  by  which  they  \\<.r<  removed  cuts 


176     OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE. 

off  a  certain  magnetic  element  pertaining  to  the  body, 
which  the  spirit  requires,  and  without  which  it  is  im- 
possible for  it  to  pass  on  its  way  in  a  completed  form. 

A  man  is  murdered  and  the  cord  of  life  which  held 
him  to  earth  is  suddenly,  and  without  warning,  seVered  ; 
his  blood  is  spilled  on  the  floor,  or  on  the  ground  and, 
in  consequence,  a  part  of  his  physical  life  is  separated 
from  the  centre  to  which  it  is  responsive.  The  spirit 
is  immediately  thrown  out  of  relationship  with  the  ele- 
ments to  which  it  was  formerly  connected,  and  while 
the  major  part  of  the  elements  required  go  to  build  up 
the  spiritual  body,  there  is  still  much  remaining  that  is 
disconnected  therefrom,  and  it  is  an  essential  that  the 
spirit  attract  that  force  unto  itself.  In  fact,  it  is  a 
necessity  that  such  a  purpose  be  accomplished  before 
the  entirety  of  the  spirit  is  assured,  but,  through  the 
severing  of  these  elements,  the  spirit  no  longer  holds  a 
direct  attraction  over  him,  and,  consequently,  is  forced 
to  remain  as  if  tied  to  the  spot  until,  through  the 
passage  of  time,  or  the  assistance  of  spirits  within  or 
without  the  body,  the  magnetic  relationships  are  re- 
established, and  the  spirit,  in  the  strength  of  its  full 
stature,  is  able  to  go  forth  untrammeled.  This  is  the 
secret,  so  to  speak,  of  all  haunting  spirits;  and  the 
moans  of  pain  and  the  sighs  and  deep  groans,  which  are 
often  heard  as  emanating  from  some  surroundings,  are 
the  same,  in  nature  and  quality,  as  if  they  had  arisen  from 
purely  earthly  causes.  The  spirit  longs  to  get  away,  to 
break  the  shackles  that  bind  him,  fights  against  the  limi- 
tations of  his  surroundings,  as  an  eagle  might  against 
the  bars  of  his  cage;  but  his  efforts  are  unavailing,  and 


OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  Till.  M'lRnVAI.  I. IKK.     1/7 

he  finds  himself  held  in  the  clutches  of  a  law  as  inexor- 
able as  fate  itself ;  and,  passing  this  term  of  suffering,  he 
hails  the  hour  of  release  with  great  gladness  and  rejoic- 
ing. Kindly  disposed  and  sympathetic  mortals  who 
comprehend,  at  all,  the  conditions  of  these  spirits  are 
enabled  to  greatly  assist  and  relieve  them,  by  going  to 
the  places  where  they  are  thus  confined,  and,  from  their 
own  earnest  desire,  furnish  the  spirit  with  those  ele- 
ments of  courage  and  strength  whereby  he  is  enabled 
to  more  firmly  assert  his  own  individuality  and  claim 
that  which  is  his  own.  Mortals  placed  in  such  bond- 
age would  excite  the  sympathy  of  the  most  apathetic, 
not  only  for  any  physical  suffering  that  might  be  appre- 
hended, but  for  the  effect  upon  their  spiritual  natures. 
Such  spirits,  as  we  have  referred  to,  should  enlist  the 
sympathies  a  thousand  times  more  ;  and,  as  expeditions 
are  sent  out  to  ameliorate  the  conditions  of  those  who 
are  in  a  plague-stricken  district,  so  also  the  spiritually- 
minded  can  find  a  sphere  of  great  usefulness  in  endeav- 
oring to  assist  those  who,  through  no  fault  of  their  own, 
are  placed  out  of  relationship  with  themselves  and  the 
spiritual  world. 

The  suicide  furnishes,  perhaps,  the  strongest  illustra- 
tion of  this  law.  A  man,  finding  the  burden  of  life  too 
heavy  to  be  borne,  seeks  relief  in  what  he  foolishly 
calls  the  repose  and  forgetfulness  of  death.  He  realizes 
the  sorrows  and  griefs  of  the  life  that  are  about  him, 
the  obligations  and  duties  that  he  has  not  the  power  to 
fulfill,  and  would  escape  them.  He,  perchance,  sees  the 
loss  of  position,  disgrace  and  dishonor  staring  him  in 
the  face,  and  may  fully  comprehend  that  when  to-mor- 


1/8     OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE. 

row's  sun  shall  have  risen  the  place  will  be  vacant  that  he 
has  so  long  filled,  and  that  his  name,  heretofore  spoken 
of  with  respect,  has  become  a  by-word  in  the  mouths  of 
those  for  whose  good  opinion  he  cares.  Rather  than 
meet  these  untoward  winds  of  fate,  he  shuts  out  the 
world,  forgets  the  obligations  and  duties  that  still  re- 
main, and  seeks,  by  one  bold  stroke,  to  become  master 
of  the  situation  by  taking  himself  out  of  it.  When 
the  day  dawns  he  has  ignored  his  external  obligations, 
and  passed  off  the  stage  of  active  life  altogether. 
Those  who  would  have  dealt  unkindly  are  compelled, 
through  the  exigencies  of  the  situation,  to  leave  un- 
spoken their  bitter  thoughts,  and  deal,  as  best  they  can, 
with  the  circumstances  which,  not  infrequently,  a  plain 
statement  of  the  facts  would  have  wholly  cleared  up. 
But  how  about  that  venturesome  spirit  who  has  closed 
the  volume  of  old  obligations  ?  Has  he  found  the  rest 
he  sought  ?  Has  he  passed  on  from  the  realms  of  care 
and  duty  to  a  state  of  rest,  wherein  he  is  oblivious  to 
past  obligations  ?  Has  joy  taken  the  place  of  sorrow, 
smiles  that  of  tears,  and  a  complete  renovation  of  nature 
followed,  by  which  discouragement  has  been  eliminated, 
and  hope,  faith  and  trust  given  instead?  Has  he, 
indeed,  left  the  old  world,  the  old  life  and  the  old  duties, 
and  begun  a  new  world  where  fresh  motives,  nobler  im- 
pulses and  grander  possibilities  unroll  themselves  before 
his  wondering  vision  ?  Come  there  no  thoughts  of  the 
old  life,  old  friends,  old  duties  ?  No  desire  to  have  done 
battle  with  fate,  and,  if  defeat  had  followed  at  last,  to 
feel  that  one's  best  strength  had  been  given  in  the  effort 
to  win  the  victory  ?  Is  there  no  sense  of  regret  over 


OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE.      179 

heavy  burdens  for  others  to  bear,  or  home  deserted, 
or  faiths  broken,  or  promises  unfulfilled  ?  Mistaken, 
indeed,  is  he  who  imagines  that  release  from  life,  in 
this  way,  holds  a  panacea  for  the  ills  of  earth.  What- 
ever the  outward  result  may  be,  it  were  better  to  meet 
it  than  to  endeavor  to  escape  it,  for  all  that  death  can  do 
is  to  change  one's  relationships  with  life's  obligations, 
but  not  the  weight  and  the  duty  that  pertains  thereto. 

The  man  who,  thus  rashly,  takes  the  issue  of  life  in 
his  own  hands  is  not  able  to  close  the  volume  by  so 
doing,  but  is  closely  held  to  the  earth  until  the  last 
farthing  is  paid,  the  last  obligation  fulfilled,  and  the 
last  duty  canceled.  Centuries  may  come  and  go,  con- 
tinents, even,  pass  away,  and  his  very  existence  be 
forgotten,  and  yet  he  remain,  held  to  the  conditions  of 
a  work  unperformed,  a  duty  unfulfilled,  until  the 
desired  effect  has  been  produced  upon  his  spirit,  and  he 
has  gained  that  equipoise  which  is  a  spiritual  neces- 
sity. He  is  compelled  to  endure  not  only  every  pang 
which  would  have  fallen  to  his  lot,  had  he  lived,  but  also 
a  twofold  punishment  which  his  cowardly  treatment  of 
the  situation  has  brought  upon  him,  and  as  the  natural 
result  of  his  action.  And  this  will  seem  legitimate 
enough,  and  absolutely  just,  when  one  takes  into  consid- 
eration that  all  the  experiences  and  vicissitudes  of  lift- 
come  to  each  individual  for  the  completion  of  his  spirit- 
ual nature,  and  in  the  line  of  absolute  necessity. 

To  judge  of  a  life  passing  through  these  experi- 
ences is  to  make  a  mistake  common  among  men,  but 
impossible  to  advanced  spirits.  It  is  only  when  the 
result  is  attained,  and  the  effect  upon  the  spirit  appar- 


180      OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE. 

ent,  that  such  judgment  is  either  reasonable  or  just,  and, 
in  every  case,  the  superior  wisdom  of  the  all-controlling 
power  that  guides  and  shapes  the  destinies  of  man  will 
be  evident.  The  world's  greatest  success  does  not 
necessarily  mean  that  the  individual,  if  this  were  con- 
tinued, was  receiving  that  tuition  which  would  best 
affect  him  in  his  development,  but  as  the  flowers  require 
light  and  shade,  storm  and  sunshine,  night  and  day,  so 
every  human  being  requires  all  the  variability  of  an 
earthly  experience  to  bring  out  that  which  is  dormant 
within  him.  As  the  athlete  never  knows  what  his 
strength  is  until  it  is  tested,  so  a  man  is  never  able  to 
measure  himself,  spiritually,  until  he  has  been  called 
upon  to  meet  the  adverse  winds  of  fate,  as  well  as  to 
enjoy  the  sunshine  of  prosperity.  Indeed,  we  are 
bound  to  say  that  any  man  whose  force  goes  out  to 
prosperity  alone,  develops  the  worst  side  of  human 
nature ;  for  those  who  have  enjoyed  its  results  are  arro- 
gant, proud,  opinionated  and  unsympathetic.  It  has 
been  well  said,  that  only  the  poor  can  sympathize  with 
the  poor;  and  it  might  also  be  added,  with  equal  force, 
that  only  those  who  have  tasted  the  bitter  cup  of  sorrow 
can  understand  those  who  are  still  called  upon  to  walk 
through  the  valley  of  tears. 

No,  suffering  mortals,  whatever  your  trials,  your 
obligations  or  your  duties,  it  is  better  for  you  now, 
infinitely  better  for  you  through  eternity,  to  meet 
and  bear,  as  best  you  can,  the  scourges  of  fate, 
than  to  aimlessly  and  foolishly  seek  to  avert  them. 
But  if  you  will  not  listen,  and  persist  in  throwing 
the  burden  down  when  the  journey  is  only  half  fin- 


OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFK.      l8l 

ished,  know  then  that  an  inexorable  law  will  require 
of  you  a  fulfillment  of  every  demand,  will  take  the 
burden  up  and  place  it  upon  your  shoulders  again, 
and  force  you  to  bear  its  added  weight,  until  the 
purpose  of  life  is  fulfilled,  though  it  take  a  century  of 
eternities  to  accomplish  the  end ;  during  which  time 
little  or  no  assistance  can  be  rendered  you,  by  mortals 
or  spirits,  while  in  that  condition,  save,  perhaps,  by 
helping  you  to  more  readily  comprehend  your  duty  and 
its  obligations.  The  work,  you  must  do  for  yourselves  ; 
and  you  will  find  that  this  very  act  will  separate  you 
from  your  spirit  friends  who,  having  performed  their 
part,  are  drawn,  by  the  law  of  attraction,  to  journey  on 
toward  the  heights,  while  you  are  left  behind.  Your 
act  will  forever  stand  before  you  like  some  menacing 
spirit,  building  a  barrier  between  you  and  the  things 
hoped  for  ;  and  will,  by  its  presence,  continually  impress 
upon  your  mind  that  whatever  darkness  may  surround 
you  it  is  of  your  own  creating,  and  can  only  be  lifted 
by  your  own  individual  efforts. 

Those  passing  out  from  this  world  by  accident,  will 
be  held,  for  a  time,  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster,  it  is  true  ; 
but,  since  their  attitude  of  mind  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  result,  they  are  in  a  condition  to  receive  any  benign 
influences  that  advanced  spirits  may  desire  to  impart, 
and,  consequently,  are  in  a  state  of  temporary  disturb- 
ance for  a  time  only ;  just  long  enough  to  gain  that  mag- 
netic equilibrium  referred  to  in  the  earlier  part  of  this 
article.  But  as  persons  are  inspired  on  the  earth  by  a 
desire  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  unfortunate, 
and  go  forth  as  nurses  in  hospitals,  and  angels  of  mercy 


1 82     OTHER  CONDITIONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE. 

to  plague  stricken  households,  so  there  are  spirits  who 
hold  a  mission  from  high-heaven  to  minister  to  those 
who  go  to  the  spiritual  world  through  untoward  circum- 
stances ;  and  such  spirits  are  tireless  in  their  efforts  to 
assist  those  who,  thus  unfortunately,  are  hurled  into 
eternity  without  a  moment's  warning.  Kindly  dis- 
posed mortals  can,  through  their  interest  and  desire, 
do  much  to  establish  a  needed  magnetic  relationship  for 
the  spirit,  thereby  assisting  him  to  free  himself  from 
what  would,  otherwise,  be  a  most  undesirable  state. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that,  while  the  higher  spirits  are 
able  to  labor  for  the  spirits  in  the  flesh,  those  who  are 
still  embodied  may  be  instruments  for  accomplishing 
much  good  for  those  who  have  crossed  the  boundary 
line  of  life,  but  who  are  yet  held  amenable  to  its  laws. 


1 83 


THE   SUICIDE'S   5TORY. 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  tb«  year  18»S,  by  AUGUSTA  W.  FLEHM.K,  If.  D., 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Coagmi  at  Washington.) 

Life  is  a  hard  thing  at  best.  Those  who  live  in  the 
sunshine  have  not  much  idea  about  the  chill  there  is  in 
the  shadow.  It  is  easy  enough  for  some ;  it  is  hard 
enough  for  others;  and  every  man  knows  his  own 
burden  better  than  he  could  understand  that  of  another. 
He  is  held  responsible,  by  the  world,  for  what  he  does, 
for  what  the  world  thinks  he  ought  to  do,  and,  failing 
to  do  that,  he  is  condemned  accordingly.  Perhaps 
those  who  are  the  first  to  judge  him  would  also  be  the 
first  to  commit  the  offense  that  they  accuse  him  of. 

I  am  not  saying  this,  God  knows,  to  justify  myself  in 
anything  that  I  have  done,  but  just  to  state  how  it  all 
appears  to  me.  Looking  back  over  the  record  of  my  life, 
I  am  sure  I  tried  to  do  my  best,  and  if  I  failed  more  is 
the  pity.  That's  all.  A  man  cannot  be  blamed  for 
losing  a  battle  just  because  his  enemy  happens  to  have 
more  strength  and  better  weapons  than  he  ;  and  it  is  the 
story  of  that  battle,  and  the  story  of  the  defeat  in  which 
it  all  ended,  that  I  wish  to  tell  you,  so  that  others,  who 
are  following  in  the  same  path,  may,  perhaps,  gain 
courage  enough  to  continue  to  meet  whatever  the  future 
has  in  store  for  them. 

My  name  was  Edwin  Heatherly  and,  from  my  earliest 
recollections,  I  have  always  felt  there  was  no  place  for 


1 84  THE  SUICIDE'S  STORY. 

me  in  the  world.  My  father  and  mother  died  before  I 
was  even  old  enough  to  speak  their  names,  and  I  found 
a  home  among  their  people,  who,  inspired  by  duty  and 
family  pride,  did  that  which  can  only  be  well  done 
when  actuated  by  love.  I  grew  up  with  them  in  a  home 
out  of  which  all  kindly  feeling  for  me  was  kept,  and 
with  the  sense  that  every  mouthful  of  food  that  I  ate 
was  given  in  pity. 

A  loveless  childhood  is  a  night  without  a  star,  the 
day  without  the  sun,  a  world  out  of  which  everything 
has  been  taken  ;  and  yet,  I  had  my  thoughts,  my  dreams 
and  my  hopes,  that  have  ever  been  and  will  ever  be  the 
attendant  angels  of  childhood's  hours. 

Alone,  I  used  to  wander  under  the  grand  old  trees 
by  the  side  of  the  flowing  river,  looking  up  to  the  sky 
where,  in  my  childish  way,  I  used  to  think  the  angels 
lived ;  and  I  wondered  if  I  had  an  angel-friend  who  was 
watching  over  and  guiding  my  footsteps. 

Sensitive  and  retiring  by  nature,  I  found  no  one  in 
whom  I  could  confide.  The  people  about  me,  when  I 
tried  to  talk  to  them,  said  I  was  given  to  strange 
fancies ;  and  I  was  always  spoken  of  as  being  odd  and 
queer.  The  instructors  and  teachers  seemed,  at  first, 
to  understand  me  somewhat  better  ;  but  they  soon  took 
the  impression  of  those  about  them,  and  offered  me 
small  sympathy.  And  so,  up  to  sixteen  years  of  age,  in 
that  English  home,  I  found,  in  the  silence  of  nature, 
my  only  comfort. 

Having  some  predilection  to  art,  and  inheriting  a 
sum  of  money  through  the  death  of  my  parents,  it  was 
decided  that  I  should  go  to  Genoa,  in  Italy,  to  study. 


THE  SUICIDE'S  STORY.  185 

This  was  my  desire,  may  I  not  say  the  realization  of 
my  dreams ;  and,  when  my  uncle  and  guardian  finally- 
consented,  it  seemed  as  if  there  was  something  within 
me  that  was  crying  out  for  joy. 

I  said  good-bye,  gladly,  to  the  life  I  was  leaving  and 
to  the  people  who  were  in  it,  and  looked  forward  to  the 
world  in  which  I  was  going,  with  all  the  enthusiasm 
born  of  fulfilled  hopes.  It  seemed  to  me  then,  I  re- 
member, as  if  I  should  surely  find  that  for  which  my 
heart  was  craving ;  as  if  I  should  at  last  look  into  eyes 
that  would  be  able  to  see  the  unexpressed  within  my 
heart  and  give  me  the  courage  and  the  understanding 
of  how  best  to  express  it.  And  so  I  went  away  from  all 
that  I  had  known,  eagerly  and  earnestly  seeking  in 
this  new  world  for  the  something  which  my  nature 
demanded,  but  which  circumstances  had  not  given. 

In  the  home  of  an  old  artist,  just  outside  the  city 
walls,  I  found  an  asylum,  so  to  speak.  In  him,  the  fires 
of  youth  still  burned  ;  and,  although  he  had  failed  to 
write  his  name  strongly  upon  the  records  of  the  world, 
he  had  found  in  his  artistic  work  a  happiness  and  a  sat- 
isfaction which  many  successful  artists  know  not  of. 
He  visited  the  galleries  of  the  palace  where  the  works 
of  great  masters  were  kept,  and  which,  to  this  day,  are 
looked  upon  by  the  gaping  hordes  who  neither  see  nor 
feel  an  intimation  of  what  true  genius  is.  He  taught, 
also,  several  others  who,  like  myself,  were  drinking,  early, 
at  the  spring  of  inspiration,  and,  in  a  sweet,  simple  and 
wonderful  way,  was  able  to  bring  us  all  into  the  little 
world  that  pervaded  his  studio,  and  everything  that  was 
in  it. 


1 86  THE  SUICIDE'S  STORY. 

In  the  early  morning,  while  hill  and  valley,  palace 
and  cot,  and  the  far-reaching  waters,  were  bathed  in  the 
rose-light  of  the  awakening  day,  we  would  gather  unto 
ourselves  something  of  that  spirit  of  beauty  which 
speaks  with  greater  force  to  the  artistic  nature  than  to 
the  rest  of  mankind.  At  eventide,  when  the  day  and 
its  work  was  done,  and  the  mantle  of  silence  rested 
gently  upon  the  scenes  the  sun  had  left,  while  the  stars, 
ever  watchful,  held  their  guard  above  the  sleeping 
world,  fancy  would  take  unto  herself  new  strength,  and 
fly  far  out  over  the  shining  waves,  until  the  sea  reached 
that  spot  where  sky  and  ocean  blend  together  and  the 
two  become  one. 

Oh !  bright  and  golden  were  those  hours  in  the  old 
studio,  where  the  master  still  worked,  hoping  to  realize 
in  the  young  lives  he  was  training  the  achievement 
of  that  of  which  he  had  dreamed,  as  they  were 
dreaming,  but  which  had  never  crowned  his  efforts. 
He  taught  us  (or  rather  made  us  feel)  the  spirit  in  art, 
— the  spirit  that  abides  in  everything — and  whatever  the 
nature  of  our  work,  whether  it  was  historical  or  personal, 
we  were  made  to  look  behind  all  evidences  of  life,  for 
that  which  was  life  itself.  And  so  the  years  wore  on, 
and  that,  which  had  been  but  a  bud,  unfolded  itself  into 
an  open  flower ;  and  I  began  to  feel  that  all  the  loss 
which  had  marked  my  earlier  youth  was  more  than 
repaid  in  the  work  which  heaven  had  made  it  possible 
for  me  to  do. 

I  could  never  express  myself  in  words  as  some  can, 
but  when  I  stood  before  the  easel  with  palette  and 
brush  in  hand,  the  canvas  and  the  color  would  voice 


TIIK    SIT(  TDK'S    STORY.  1 87 

the  thoughts  within  my  soul.  I  seemed  to  be  in  an- 
other world  or,  if  in  this  world,  to  be  permitted  to  look 
upon  another,  where  I  met  people,  witnessed  scenes,  and 
enacted  parts  which  bore  no  relation  to  my  other  life. 
Sometimes,  the  good  old  master  would  say,  "you  should 
have  been  a  poet  instead  of  an  artist ;  you  are  a 
poet  and  an  artist  in  one."  And  then  he  would  say  to 
me,  "  you  will  some  day  do  what  I  hoped  to  do.  1  sec 
myself  leaving  this  world  and  giving  you  my  life  to 
complete  as  I  would  have  done  had  I  the  power." 
And  the  old  man's  face  would  lighten  up  with  such  a 
gentle  smile  that  it  would  become  almost  beautiful  to 
look  upon. 

I  had  reached  my  twenty-fifth  year,  with  everything 
before  me  bright  and  encouraging.  My  art  was  my 
consolation,  my  work  was  my  comforter.  I  met,  at 
this  time,  two  persons,  of  whom  I  shall  speak  ;  for  upon 
my  connection  with  them  the  destiny  of  my  life  turned, 
and  subsequent  events  were  dependent. 

One,  whose  name,  even  now,  I  must  speak  with  rev- 
erence and  affection,  was  a  woman  of  nearly  my  own 
age,  who  was  following  the  same  path  in  which  I  was 
working,  and  whom  I  met  often  in  the  galleries,  when 
studying  some  of  the  celebrated  masters,  whose  works 
still  rise,  as  monuments,  to  the  greatness  of  their 
genius.  We  met,  and,  from  the  first  moment  we  looked 
into  each  other's  eyes,  we  loved.  It  was  the  old,  old 
story,  told  in  many  lands,  repeated  in  many  tongues. 
The  other  was  a  young  gentleman  of  title  and  position, 
a  Spaniard  by  birth,  who  was  playing  with  art  as  many 
do  who  are  weary  of  the  attractions  of  the  world.  He 


i88  THE  SUICIDE'S  STORY. 

was  making  life  a  long,  reckless  holiday,  and  often  stung 
the  flower  from  which  he  had  extracted  the  honey.  I 
knew  him,  for  he  had  been  to  our  studio  for  a  short  time. 
He  saw  the  woman  whom  I,  with  all  my  artistic  nature, 
had  idealized  into  an  angel,  and,  falling  under  the  gentle 
sway  of  her  influence,  desired  to  accomplish  his  own 
ignoble  ends,  at  whatsoever  the  cost  might  be.  We 
were  all  three  thrown  together,  more  or  less  ;  we  were 
all  three  working  upon  what  was  to  be  our  masterpiece, 
which,  when  the  day  arrived,  was  to  be  hung  in 
the  academy  and,  perhaps,  win  the  appreciation  of  those 
who  passed  it  in  review. 

I  cannot  tell  you  what  it  means  to  one  who  has 
worked  for  years,  and  feels  within  himself  all  the  force 
of  a  great  inspiration,  when  the  opportunity  for  its 
realization  is  at  hand. 

I  had  everything  to  labor  for  :  love,  art  and  myself. 
And  so  the  work  progressed,  and  so  love  grew  between 
Alixe  and  myself,  and  a  friendship,  which  I  cannot 
understand,  even  to  this  day,  between  the  Spanish 
gentleman  and  myself.  He  was  all  kindness  to  me,  and 
all  devotion  to  my  sweetheart,  and  seemed  ever  to  be 
present  in  our  midst. 

My  work  was  finished,  and  we  three  were  all  standing 
in  the  old  studio  together.  Alixe  was  looking  at  the 
work  I  had  wrought,  which  was  the  death  of  Juliet ; 
and  the  face  was  that  of  the  woman  I  loved.  My 
thoughts  were  more  upon  'whether  the  picture  would 
be  accepted  or  not,  than  upon  anything  else  ;  and  I 
bade  them  both  good  night  at  the  door,  and  watched 
them  walk  down  the  pathway,  cityward,  together.  I 


THE    SUICIDK'S    STORY.  189 

gave  one  long  farewell  look  to  the  dear  Romeo  and  to 
the  dying  Juliet,  in  whose  staring  eyes,  already  the  light 
of  a  better  world  was  shining.  Then  I  went  to  my  room 
and  to  sleep.  How  long  I  slept  I  cannot  say  ;  but  a  noise 
disturbing  me,  I  awoke,  and  hurriedly,  my  mind  intent 
upon  my  picture,  went  below  to  see  if  all  was  wdl 
with  it. 

There  it  stood,  in  the  moonlight,  by  the  \\imlo\\, 
slashed  across  with  two  ugly  sword-cuts  that  completely 
ruined  it,  and,  as  I  cried  out  in  the  agony  of  despair, 
"  Who  has  done  this  thing  !"  the  shadow  of  a  man  passed 
out  through  the  half-opened  casement.  All  the  night, 
with  eyes  wet  with  tears,  I  knelt  before  my  crushed  idol  ; 
but  the  face  of  my  love  was  ever  in  my  heart,  and,  I 
thought,  when  the  morning  should  come,  I  could,  at 
least,  get  some  consolation  from  her. 

Day  broke,  the  sun  rose,  and,  weak  and  trembling,  I 
sought  her  resting-place ;  but,  ere  I  had  reached  the 
house,  a  youth  half-passed,  turned  and  spoke  to  me,  at 
the  same  time  handing  me  a  bunch  of  early  Spring 
blossoms,  from  the  heart  of  which  I  took  a  delicately 
folded  note  and,  on  reading  it,  learned  that  the  wealth 
and  position  of  her  Spanish  friend  meant  to  her  more 
than  the  love  of  an  artist  whose  world  was  yet  all 
before  him. 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  it  was,  I  only  know  that  my 
brain  seemed  on  fire  ;  the  work  of  all  the  best  years  of 
my  life  was  ruined,  utterly  destroyed  ;  the  one  human 
being  whom  I  ever  truly  loved  had  turned  her  face 
toward  another,  and  I,  half  frenzied,  stood  alone.  It 
seemed  to  me  as  if  there  was  nothing  in  the  world  to 


19°  THE  SUICIDE'S  STORY. 

live  for ;  the  despair  in  my  heart  was  so  great  that  I 
could  not  even  feel  anger  at  the  treachery  of  mine  enemy 
who  had,  by  one  foul  blow,  destroyed  the  dream  of  my 
life,  and  taken  from  me  what  would  have  given  to 
existence  its  highest  joy. 

Foolish  !  foolish !  foolish  !  you  will  say  it  was,  and  like  a 
rash  youth  who,  untrained  in  methods  and  thoughts,  had 
worked  and  loved  until  heart  and  brain  had  become 
frenzied  with  the  fire  of  ambition.  All  I  know  is,  I 
could  neither  think  nor  reason  ;  I  could  not  face  my  old 
master  who  had  watched  every  touch  of  the  brush,  and 
who  felt  that  my  work  was  his  work.  .1  could  not  face 
my  fellows  and  say  to  them  that  the  one  being  in  whom 
faith  and  trust  had  found  their  abiding-places  had  sold 
herself,  and,  thereby,  placed  her  foot  upon  an  honest 
love. 

So,  without  returning  to  the  house,  without  looking 
into  the  face  of  a  human  being  whom  I  knew,  without 
saying  a  word  of  farewell  to  my  old  master  and  faith- 
ful friend,  I  rushed  on,  wildly,  leaving  the  noise  of  the 
awakening  dawn  behind  me,  until  I  reached  the  cliffs 
that  overhung  the  waters  of  the  lower  bay.  Knowing 
not,  caring  not,  thinking  not,  I  paused  for  a  moment  to 
take  a  long  farewell  look  upon  scenes  endeared  by 
sweet  and  holy  associations,  and  then  hurled  myself, 
with  all  the  strength  of  which  I  was  possessed,  into 
the  waters  beneath  me. 

I  remember  nothing  more  to  this  day  of  that  circum- 
stance. I  recall  only  the  icy  chill  that  seemed  to  freeze 
me  through  and  through.  A  sense  of  escape  from  some- 
body and  something,  anywhere,  everywhere  beyond  the 


THE   SUICIDE'S   STORY.  igi 

power  of  individual  thought,  and  from  out  that  mad 
delirium,  I  awoke  to  find  myself  in  another  world,  and 
yet  so  within  this,  that,  while  I  could  see  and  hear 
everything,  I  could  neither  be  seen  nor  heard  myself. 

In  the  little  chapel,  by  the  hillside,  my  body  lay  ;  a 
few  friends  were  there  ;  a  kindly  priest  was  saying  the 
last  words,  and  my  old  master,  bowed  with  years  and 
shaking  with  grief,  was  kissing  me  farewell.  Then  the 
scene  changed  and  I,  who  had  sought  to  escape  life  and 
all  the  responsibilities  that  it  brought,  was  in  the  very 
vortex  of  life  itself,  moved  by  all  its  emotions,  filled  with 
all  of  its  desires,  seeing  the  same  people,  visiting  the 
same  scenes,  watching  the  same  work  as  before,  and  yet, 
my  heart  filled  with  a  nameless  horror,  was  unable  to 
change  a  single  circumstance  or  influence  a  single  event. 

If  I  had  felt  in  earlier  days  that  I  was  alone,  that 
there  was  no  place  for  me,  how  rfluch  more  did  I  feel 
abandoned  and  out  of  place  in  this  unreal  world,  to 
which,  by  so  rash  an  act,  I  had  brought  myself.  I  felt 
like  unto  one  who  longs  to  speak,  but  is  dumb ;  who 
longs  to  hear,  but  is  deaf  to  every  sound ;  who  longs 
to  see,  and  yet  is  blind. 

Time  passed  on,  and,  one  by  one,  those  whom  I  knew 
went  on  their  several  ways  in  the  world,  played  their 
part,  and  then  came  hitherward.  Each,  in  looking  upon 
me,  saw  what  I  had  done ;  and  to  all  the  inhabitants 
that  felt  my  surroundings,  it  was  known  as  to  who  and 
what  I  was. 

It  seemed  as  if  all  that  I  had  passed  through  was 
written  upon  my  face  in  letters  of  living  fire,  which 
everyone  could  read  as  they  passed  me  by.  There  was 


192  THE  SUICIDE'S  STORY. 

a  sense  of  watching  for  something  that  never  came,  a 
seeking  for  something  that  could  never  be  found,  a 
wandering  through  the  old  haunts,  looking  upon  old 
scenes,  watching  changes  as  they  came  into  the  lives 
of  old  friends,  and  yet,  having  no  part  in  it,  seeing  light, 
yet  being  in  darkness,  looking  upon  the  feast,  and  yet 
fainting  through  hunger  and  thirst. 

Time,  like  the  current  of  a  mighty  river  that  it  is, 
swept  on  its  way,  and  gradually,  through  associations 
with  others  who  were  congenial  to  it,  my  spirit-self  began 
to  feel  that  there  was  some  hope  of  release  by  and  by. 

Like  a  prisoner  bound  in  a  dungeon,  under  the 
earth,  who  counts  the  passing  days  and  nights 
until  he  sees,  in  the  distance,  like  a  beacon  light,  the 
day  that  shall  bring  deliverance,  so  I,  after  long  watch- 
ing, beheld  a  spirit  whose  gentle  heart  was  moved  to 
pity  by  my  intense  anguish,  and  who  showed  me  how, 
by  determined  effort,  I  could  conquer  and  overcome  my- 
self. It  was  not  an  easy  thing  I  had  to  do  ;  not  a  step  I 
had  to  take,  which  would,  at  once,  lead  me  in  pleasant 
paths,  but,  instead,  every  inch  of  the  way  had  to  be 
fought,  the  bitter  dregs  of  experience  had  to  be  drunk, 
until  the  elements  of  wounded  vanity  and  selfish  disap- 
pointment had  been  removed  from  my  spiritual  nature. 

My  mother,  whom  I  had  not  known  as  a  child,  was 
my  angel-teacher ;  from  her  words,  in  another  way,  I 
learned  the  lessons  of  the  higher  life,  which,  had  they 
been  imparted,  in  childhood's  days,  by  the  same  gentle 
voice,  the  dark  tragedy  of  my  life  would  have  been 
averted. 

I  saw,  as  she  pointed   downward,  that   my  feet  were 


THE  SUICIDE'S   STORY.  193 

deeply  buried  in  the  mire  of  the  earth's  conception ; 
selfishness,  pride  and  wounded  vanity  had  been  the 
wicked  spirits  who  had  pushed  me  over  the  cliff,  and  I 
still  remained  amenable  to  their  malign  influences.  They 
were  torn  out  as  weeds  are  uprooted  in  the  garden, 
and,  one  day,  I  found  myself  freed  from  all  these 
earthly  things. 

In  that  moment  I  knew  what  life  was ;  I  seemed  to 
stand  above  and  not  with  it,  and  could  easily  rec- 
ognize all  of  those  emotions  which  sway  the  human 
mind.  Behind  me  lay  the  past,  shrouded  with  a 
darkness  indescribable,  before  me  the  future  stretched 
like  a  silver  line  leading  to  those  realms  elysian, 
where  happy  spirits  dwell.  The  music  of  their  voices 
I  could  faintly  catch,  and  the  beauty  of  their  sphere  I 
could  dimly  see  ;  but  it  was  not  for  me  ;  I  could  not  hope 
to  attain  unto  it  until  a  still  greater  change  was  wrought 
within  myself. 

In  place  of  the  old,  vindictive  thoughts,  a  kindly  for- 
getfulness  had  come  ;  and  the  very  day  that  I  began  to 
realize  what  there  was  beyond  me,  I  stood,  face  to  face, 
with  the  woman  and  the  man  upon  whose  actions  my 
destiny  had  turned. 

They,  too,  in  their  earthly  life,  after  the  first  wild  in- 
toxication was  over,  had  found  its  sorrows  and  miseries. 
The  law  of  compensation  had  shadowed  their  lives,  and 
they  stood,  now,  in  the  spiritual  world,  asking  help  from 
me  whom  they  both  had  so  wickedly  betrayed  ;  and, 
seeing  them  in  sore  distress,  my  only  thought  was  to  ex- 
tend to  them  the  helping  hand  of  a  brother  and  a  friend. 

In  that  moment  my  own  redemption  was  assured  ;  I 


.194  ™E  SUICIDE'S  STORY. 

had  shown,  by  that  act,  that  I,  at  least,  was  ready  for 
the  better  life,  and,  from  that  time  and  throughout 
all  future  years,  my  spirit  will  be  enabled  to  seek  its 
own,  to  carry  on,  in  a  better  way,  the  studies  that  had 
so  interested  me  when  here  in  the  earth  life. 

Think  of  me,  if  at  all,  as  one  who,  passing  through 
great  suffering,  has  risen  above  it,  and  is  now  freed  from 
its  influence. 

Despairing  mortals,  whoever  and  wherever  you  may 
be,  think  not  that  to  you  is  given  the  power  of  changing 
the  decrees  of  fate.  Think  not  that  one  of  life's  duties 
can  be  left  undone  ;  that  there  is  an  escape  from  that 
inexorable  law  upon  the  fulfillment  of  which  everything 
depends.  Bear  your  burdens  as  best  you  can,  walk 
through  the  valley  of  tears  writh  a  strong  heart,  live  to 
yourselves  and  to  your  duties  as  you  understand  them, 
and  know  that  however  great  the  suffering  and  disap- 
pointment may  be,  through  apparent  failures  of  earth, 
they  are  less  in  magnitude  than  are  those  that  come 
through  placing  yourselves  out  of  relationship  with  the 
duties  that  must  be  performed. 

The  hope  that  many  have  of  escape,  means  a  chang- 
ing of  conditions,  it  is  true ;  but  the  old  duties,  the  old 
requirements  are  bound  to  follow  you  whithersoever  you 
may  go.  Take  ye,  then,  the  words  of  one  who  knows, 
full  well,  whereof  he  speaks.  Life,  in  whatever  con- 
dition it  naturally  asserts  itself,  cannot  be  improved 
upon  ;  and  whatever  the  rash  hand  of  man  may  do  to 
change  its  direction,  will  but  result  in  adding  to  its 
burdens,  in  increasing  its  sorrows  and  impeding  the 
development  and  growth  of  the  individual  spirit  itself. 


PART    XIII. 
A  QLIAP.SE   INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL   WORLD. 


197 


A   QLIAF5E   INTO    THE   SPIRITUAL    WOKLb. 

(Entered  according  to  Art  of  CoofnM,  In  the  jmt  18M,  by  Accc«r*  W.  FLncnB,  M.  D., 
In  th«  offloe  of  the  Ubnriu  vf  Congr**  at  WMhinfion.) 

That  the  world,  and  the  life  beyond  this,  should  seem 
to  be  unnatural  and  unreal,  is  to  be  expected,  from  the 
stolid  state  that  the  human  mind  has  been  in,  during 
the  development  of  financial  and  commercial  interests, 
wherein  the  highest  purpose  of  life  has  been  to  gain 
earthly  advancement,  and  to  control  all  human  desires 
and  emotions,  so  that  they  should  bend,  exclusively,  to 
this  end.  Intimations  of  the  higher  life  are  accordingly 
lost  amidst  the  jargon  of  selfish  interests,,  as  strains  of 
sweetest  music  are  unrecognized  amidst  the  noise  and 
contention  which  drowns  them.  In  the  earliejr  age  of 
the  world  these  interests  had  not  been  developed  to 
any  great  degree,  and  the  conseque'nce  was  that  men  of 
poetical  and  contemplative  tendencies  were  able  to 
place  themselves  in  close  relationship  with  nature,  and 
receive,  directly,  from  her  hand,  such  gifts  of  inspiration 
as  would  serve  to  ennoble  and  upbuild.  The  require- 
ments were  less  in  those  days ;  men  fought  less  for  posi- 
tion, and  were  better  satisfied  with  the  returns  that  life 
brought  than  now.  The  fever  of  unrest,  so  contagious 
in  active  communities,  had  not  yet  developed  itself: 
and  the  blue  sky,  the  shining  waters,  the  mountains  and 
valleys  all  held  a  suggestiveness  of  peace  which,  to-day, 
is  passed  by  unseen  and  unrecognized.  No  wonder, 


198       A   GLIMPSE   INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL   WORLD. 

then,  that  much  that  is  best  in  art,  poetry  and  philos- 
ophy was  apprehended  by  minds  seeking  for  the  high- 
est, and  still  continues  to  hold  itself  as  a  standard  for 
competitive  comparison  with  the  very  strongest  efforts 
of  the  present  age.  It  is  not  that  any  realm  of  truth 
has  been  lost,  any  kingdom  of  the  mind  destroyed,  or 
world  of  thought  obliterated,  that  we  receive,  to-day,  so 
little  that  is  lasting  and  valuable  ;  but  it  is  because  the 
mind  sustains  a  different  relationship  to  opinions  and 
thoughts,  and  seeks  to  interpret  the  laws  and  forces  of 
nature  from  an  entirely  different  stand-point. 

The  great  ocean  of  truth  washes  the  shores  of  eternity 
with  as  mighty  waves  of  thought,  to-day,  as  in  the  cen- 
turies that  have  gone,  when  Socrates  walked  along  the 
sands,  and  Plato  and  Pericles  sent  their  wise  spirits  far 
out  over  its  wastes,  and  brought  back  the  shining  pearls 
of  thought  which  remain,  undimmed,  through  the  pass- 
age of  time,  and  are  still  held  as  among  the  richest 
treasures  in  the  casket  of  the  world.  But,  in  the  pres- 
ent time,  the  laws  of  nature  are  resolved  down  to  their 
practical  bearings,  and  the  commercial  side  of  truth  is 
emphasized,  while  the  more  sentimental,  or,  if  you 
please,  human,  is  quite  overlooked.  Yet,  all  the  while, 
there  come  moments  to  every  life,  no  matter  how  per- 
plexed and  burdened  it  may  be,  when  it  seeks  to  pene- 
trate these  earthly  clouds,  and  pass  beyond  the  tem- 
porary limitations  that  mark  the  boundary  line  of  a 
lifetime.  All  dream  of  a  condition  when  the  soul  shall 
be  at  peace  with  itself  and  its  surroundings,  of  a  state  of 
life  where  buying  and  selling,  profit  and  loss,  victory 
and  defeat,  shall  play  no  part  whatever,  where  all  the 


A    GLIMPSE    INTO    THK    M'lRIll  Al,    \\Okl.D.        199 

interests  of  humanity  shall  merge  themselves  into  one 
universal  law,  and  all  things,  now  so  divergent  in  their 
character,  shall  be  brought  together  in  sweet  accord. 
Utopian  the  thought,  without  doubt,  and  yet,  when 
you  look  back  over  the  pathway  of  the  past  and  see  how 
the  influences  of  the  earth,  from  warring  with  each 
other,  have  become  amicably  associated  in  nearly  all 
their  relations,  where  the  interests  of  one  became, 
through  this  interblending,  an  interest  of  equal  import- 
ance to  the  other,  it  is  not  impossible  to  conceive  of  a 
state  wherein  all  human  interests  are  mutual  and  all 
benefits  common.  What  is  one's  loss  is  said  to  be 
another's  gain  ;  but  that  relates  to  material  things  only. 
The  spiritual  interpretation  of  this  statement  is  that  no 
one  can  gain  through  the  loss  of  another ;  that  where 
one  loses,  if  such  a  thing  were  possible,  all  lose ;  and 
where  one  gains  all  are  likewise  benefited.  And  thus, 
from  out  of  all  this  highest  conception,  man  builds 
up  the  hereafter,  eliminating  all  elements  of  discord, 
while  adding  to  it  all  those  blessed  dreams  which  were 
too  beautiful  and  grand  for  any  earthly  realization. 
Thoughts  are  but  buds  on  life's  tree,  needing  the  chang- 
ing atmosphere  of  varied  experiences  before  they 
bloom  in  the  lands  beyond  the  valley  of  death. 

The  spiritual  world  lies  around  this  world,  and 
sustains  the  closest  possible  relationship  to  it.  It  is 
divided  into  spheres  and  states,  according  to  the  de- 
velopment of  its  inhabitants,  just  the  same  as  this  world 
is  divided  by  like  mental  and  social  positions.  It  mi^ht 
be  likened  to  a  flight  of  stairs  with  the  lower  step 
resting  upon  the  earth,  where  all  of  those  spirits  dwell 


2OO       A   GLIMPSE   INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL  WORLD. 

whose  thoughts  and  interests  turn  continually  earth- 
ward. On  the  next  step  will  be  found  those  in  whose 
nature  spiritual  and  material  things  are  blended  with 
equal  force,  and  the  next  where  the  aspirations  are 
spiritward,  with  still  the  reflection  of  earthly  interest 
upon  them  ;  and  so  on,  until,  upon  the  highest  step,  the 
spirit  has  divested  itself  of  everything  which  could 
impede  its  advancement,  and  is  prepared  to  enter  into 
a  state  of  complete  repose,  or  take  up  the  earth-life 
again  under  entirely  different  aspects  and  conditions. 

It  must  not  be  imagined  that  spirits  are  separated 
from  each  other  by  either  walls  or  conditions  that  are 
impenetrable,  any  more  than  are  the  different  classes  of 
minds  on  earth.  To  be  sure,  in  the  earth  sphere, 
society  is  compelled  to  protect  itself  from  some  of  its 
members  who  would  trespass  on  the  rights  of  others, 
and  these  are  held  in  certain  forms  of  bondage,  and 
justly  so,  we  should  say ;  but  the  rest  of  the  world  is 
permitted  to  move  at  will,  governed  by  whatever  im- 
pulses it  may  be  inspired,  within  the  certain  limitations 
that  civilization  has  laid  down ;  and  a  single  city  will 
contain  the  depths  and  the  heights  of  human  life.  De- 
pravity as  dark  as  night,  and  generosity  as  free  as  the 
sun,  may  walk  along,  side  by  side,  and  be  almost  obliv- 
ious one  of  the  other.  It  is  not  places  or  distance  that 
marks  the  distinction,  it  is  the  individual  state,  which, 
from  the  various  relationship  of  things,  is  compelled  to 
manifest  an  entirely  different  result.  The  highest  man 
can  descend  to  the  lowest  depths,  and  yet  be  able  to 
return  to  his  own  sphere  again ;  but  the  lowest  can 
never  rise  beyond  his  natural  condition  until  he  has  dis- 


A   GLIMPSE    INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL  WORLD.        2OI 

connected  himself  from  those  elements  that  hold  him 
down.  This  law  always  governs  the  condition  of  every 
spirit  in  the  spiritual  world. 

On  the  lower  step,  we  find  a  class  of  spirits  who  are 
called  the  Dwellers  on  the  Threshold,  who,  although  in 
the  spiritual  world,  have  no  impulse  toward  it,  but  are 
as  material,  vindictive  and  selfish  in  their  desires  as 
before  they  passed  through  the  narrow  portals  of  death. 
They  have  simply  dropped  the  outer  covering  of  the 
body,  retaining  all  of  its  passions  and  animosities ;  and, 
like  so  many  hungry  wolves,  are  seeking  to  satisfy 
their  thirst  and  hunger,  upon  any  element  that  may 
present  itself.  These  spirits  are  held,  by  the  law  of 
earthly  attraction,  to  the  scenes  they  have  just  left,  and 
are  best  pleased  when  they  can  associate  themselves 
with  a  nature  equally  as  depraved  as  their  own,  and, 
thereby,  repeat  and  re-repeat  the  destroying  passions 
of  their  earthly  lives.  Every  drunkard,  every  thief, 
every  murderer  has  attendant  spirits  of  like  character, 
who  find  their  highest  enjoyment  in  re-enacting  the  old 
scenes  of  their  life.  They  give  to  the  human  mind 
greater  cunning  and  greater  power  of  invention,  to  the 
arm,  greater  strength,  and  to  the  individual,  himself, 
greater  indifference  to  whatever  penalties  may  be  at- 
tached to  his  wrong-doing.  And  it  is  not  until  such 
spirits  have  received  an  interior  awakening,  which  is 
bound  in  time  to  come,  that  they  see  the  folly  of 
their  ways  and  the  wickedness  of  their  lives.  This 
sphere  is  called  the  Sphere  of  Transition,  and  in  and 
through  it  all  the  conditions,  impulses  and  purposes 
of  the  earth  are  found.  Whatever  exists  on  earth 


202        A    GLIMPSE   INTO   THE    SPIRITUAL   WORLD. 

finds  a  spiritual  representation  there ;  and  the  con- 
ditions of  that  sphere  are  as  actual  and  real,  to  those 
who  dwell  therein,  as  are  houses  and  lands  to  those 
of  the  earth.  The  employments  and  occupations  are 
not  dissimilar ;  but  the  results  obtained  are,  by  far, 
less  satisfying,  thus  suggesting  to  the  more  thoughtful, 
at  least,  something  beyond.  In  fact,  many  of  these 
occupants  do  not  know,  for  a  long  time,  that  they  have 
passed  through  the  change  called  death,  but  feel  as  if 
they  were  still  passing  through  some  wild  dream  from 
which  they  would  shortly  awaken.  This  is  commonly 
true  of  persons  who  have  been  trained  in  severe  schools 
of  theological  thought,  who  are  not  infrequently  drawn 
to  the  church  wherein  they  were  accustomed  to  worship, 
and  where  they  persistently  remain,  expecting  to  be 
transported  to  the  realms  of  light ;  and  when  told,  as 
they  often  are,  that  such  a  journey  must  be  made  by  and 
through  their  own  individual  efforts,  they  refuse  to 
listen  or  believe,  saying,  to  the  high  angel-teachers 
who  are  endeavoring  to  instruct  them  in  the  right  way : 
"  You  are  all  deceivers  sent  to  mislead  the  very  elect ; 
we  will  not  believe  you  ;  depart,  for  the  Lord  will  soon 
be  here !" 

And  then  they  fall  back  into  that  state  of  mental 
assurance,  which  is  closely  allied  to  lethargy,  to  await 
an  event  which  will  never  occur.  These  spirits  are 
the  most  difficult  of  all  to  instruct  or  lead ;  for  such  is 
their  egotism  that  they  are  unwilling  to  believe  what 
is  told  them,  holding  that  the  more  logical  the  state- 
ments the  more  likely  they  are  to  be  of  evil  origin ; 
just  as  some  of  the  theologians  on  earth  declare  that 


A    (JUMI'SK    INTO     IIII     SI'IklTUAI.    WORLD.        2OJ 

the  demonstrations  of  natural  science  are  but  the 
means  that  his  satanic  majesty  is  using  to  lead  astray 
the  souls  of  the  righteous.  After  a  time,  probably  a 
very  long  time,  the  light  of  truth  illumines  even  these 
ignorant  natures,  and  they,  through  a  process  of  spirit- 
ual unfoldment,  rise  to  higher  estates.  But  such  a  man 
as  John  Calvin  or  Cotton  Mather  would  be  in  the  spirit- 
ual world  a  century,  and  be  followed  by  hordes  of 
devotees,  before  a  single  ray  of  light  could  penetrate 
the  density  of  their  natures. 

From  the  Sphere  of  Transition,  the  earth  planet  seems 
like  a  world  of  darkness,  over  which  different  human 
interests  hang,  like  so  many  clouds,  oftentimes  nearly 
obscuring  the  view.  Here  and  there  upon  the  earth  a 
bright  light  will  appear  which,  if  followed  out,  will 
reveal  an  individual,  or  a  part  of  the  community,  in- 
spired by  more  ennobling  purposes  than  are  the  rest  of 
their  fellows.  Over  each  locality  will  be  found  the 
spiritual  world  that  pertains  thereto ;  or,  in  other 
words,  over  China  the  invisible  influences  of  the  atmos- 
phere are  more  harmonious  to  the  inhabitants  of  that 
part  of  the  country,  which  locality  furnishes  a  magnet- 
ism in  which  spirits  pertaining  to  it  are  most  at  ease. 
This  Sphere  of  Transition,  through  which  every  spirit 
must  pass,  extends  as  far  as  the  atmosphere  of  the 
earth.  No  spirit  can  be  said  to  be  actually  in  the 
spiritual  world,  governed  by  its  laws,  and  inspired  by  its 
higher  purposes,  until  this  Sphere  of  Transition  is  past. 
Roman  Catholics  recognize  its  existence  in  a  dim  way, 
and  hold  that  even  their  most  devout  adherents  must 
pass  through  it  on  their  way  toward  the  realms  of  bliss ; 


204       A   GLIMPSE   INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL   WORLD. 

and,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  passage,  a  candle  is  placed 
in  the  hand  of  the  dead,  to  light  him  on  his  way.  If, 
by  the  burning  of  one  candle,  such  a  journey  can  be 
accomplished,  it  were  e'asily  done,  indeed  ;  but  there  are 
very  few  who  would  be  able  to  start,  even  if  the  requisite 
tapers  were  at  hand. 

From  what  we  have  said,  then,  be  it  understood  that 
the  first  sphere  of  the  spiritual  world  contains,  in  essence, 
everything  that  exists  in  external  life.  It  is  the  mighty 
laboratory  of  which  all  that  you  see,  and  hear,  and  feel, 
is  but  the  result ;  that  those  who  enter  its  border-lands 
carry  with  them  earthly  feelings  and  sensations,  motives, 
and  desires  which,  with  great  perversity,  they  still  con- 
tinue to  outwork ;  and  it  is  only  after  experience  has 
demonstrated  the  inefficiency  of  the  aforesaid,  that  the 
spirit  breaks  the  shackles  it  brought  from  the  earth,  and, 
like  a  bird  once  pinioned  and  now  set  free,  lifts  itself 
upon  the  wings  of  a  noble  aspiration,  and,  thereby, 
enters  upon  a  career,  the  ultimate  of  which  is  known 
only  to  God  himself.  Having  then  divested  himself  of 
the  conditions  of  the  earth,  conquered  his  prejudices, 
overcome  his  selfishness,  and  forgotten,  in  part,  at 
least,  his  personal  desires  and  enjoyments,  and  being 
aware  that  all  of  these  must  be  merged  into  the 
law  of  common  good,  the  spirit  enters  in  upon  his  work 
in  the  spiritual  realms,  which  are  removed  from  the 
reflex  action  of  the  earth,  and  opens  up  possibilities 
heretofore  unknown.  And,  for  the  first  time,  such  a 
spirit  begins  to  enter  in  upon  the  realization  of  his  own 
capacities.  Not  the  capacities  of  the  body,  for  that  has 
been  left  behind,  nor  yet  the  mind,  for  in  the  spiritual 


A    GI  IMI'Sl     INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL    NVuRI.U.        2o; 

world  that  plays  a  secondary  part ;  but  to  those  possibil- 
ities of  the  spirit  which  use  both  the  mind  and  the 
body  to  manifest  their  attributes,  and  yet  transcend 
them  in  their  most  perfect  fulfillment.  The  spiritual 
body  has  become  changed  into  the  likeness  of  the  spirit, 
and  the  affections  have  either  become  modified  or  ex- 
tended to  that  degree  whereby  they  enable  the  spirit  to 
use  them  without  interference. 

This  first  state  of  the  spiritual  world  we  should 
call  the  Sphere  of  Unselfishness ;  for  in  it  spirits 
labor  for  the  benefit  of  the  many,  regardless  of 
any  direct  effect  upon  themselves.  It  is  a  sphere  of 
service  wherein  all  who  labor  in  the  vineyard  are 
desirous  of  doing  whatever  is  possible  to  ameliorate 
the  condition  of  those  who  are  struggling  against 
the  temptations  below  them,  at  the  same  time  unfold- 
ing whatever  possibilities  there  may  be  within  them- 
selves. It  is,  perhaps,  only  just  to  say,  that  this  is 
the  process  of  unfoldment ;  as  no  spirit  in  the  body, 
or  out,  ever  speaks  a  kind  word,  or  proffers  kindly 
assistance,  without  receiving  in  return  for  it  (be  it  un- 
selfishly done)  a  greater  benefit  than  he  confers.  This 
sphere  is  in  direct  connection  with  the  earth,  by  lines  of 
magnetic  light,  which  penetrate  the  atmosphere  of  the 
Sphere  of  Transition  and  the  physical  air  as  well,  and 
are  attached  to  countries,  communities,  associations  and 
individuals,  who  are  in  affiliation  with  it.  These  they 
are  able  to  supply  with  a  great  magnetic  force  which, 
ultimately,  conquers  all  obstacles,  breaks  down  barriers, 
and  carries  forward  the  civilization  of  the  world.  In 
this  sphere,  art,  music,  literature  and  every  phase  of 


206       A   GLIMPSE    INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL   WORLD. 

reform  exists,  in  a  more  perfect  state,  and  it  is  from 
this  centre  that  those  engaged  in  like  work  on  the 
earth  derive  their  highest  inspirations.  If  there  be  an 
age  when  the  arts  and  sciences  thrive  more  at  one  time 
than  another,  it  is  because  a  certain  number  of  minds 
are  responsive  to  this  sphere  in  the  spiritual  world. 
Such  men,  be  they  on  the  platform,  in  the  studio,  or 
wielding  the  pen,  become  as  prophets  to  the  age  in 
which  they  live.  Mozart,  Mendelssohn  and  Beethoven 
were  men  of  great  musical  capacity ;  but  no  student  of 
their  works  can  fail  to  recognize  how  uneven  in  quality 
their  compositions  are.  These  men  were,  by  organ- 
ization and  life,  susceptible  to  the  inspirations  of  a 
higher  sphere  of  the  same  kind,  in  the  spiritual  world, 
and,  without  doubt,  their  compositions  were  as  much  a 
marvel  to  them  as  to  the  world  at  large.  For,  in  the 
realm  of  genius,  there  is  no  absolute  standard.  Sur- 
roundings, conditions  and  temperaments  form  the  de- 
grees of  inspiration,  and  let  there  be  any  interference 
with  one  of  these  and  the  result  is  immediately  circum- 
scribed. Could  you  have  seen  the  spiritual  surroundings 
of  these  musicians  you  would  have  found  that  they 
were  closely  allied  to  men  of  like  temperaments  in  the 
spiritual  world ;  and  the  "  Song  Without  Words  "  of 
Mendelssohn,  and  the  "  Sonatas  "  of  Beethoven,  while 
so  little  understood  or  admired  by  the  many,  reveal  the 
laws  of  a  divine  harmony  to  the  few,  indicative  of  what 
is  one  day  to  be  expected  generally.  Wagner  wrote, 
not  to  the  standard  of  his  generation,  but  to  the  stand- 
ard of  his  spiritual  conception,  and  his  works,  when  first 
produced,  were  honored  by  being  called  ''the  music  of 


A    GLIMPSE    INTO   THK    SPIRITUAL    WORLD.        2O; 

the  future."  But  he  worked  on,  all  the  same,  receiving 
an  impulse  to  continue  from  the  very  denunciation 
visited  upon  him  ;  and,  to-day,  the  sublime  melodies 
which  contain  no  music  for  the  many  are  suggestive 
and  almost  divine  to  those  who  are  unfolded  in  this 
direction.  Thus  progress,  or  growth,  ever  has  been  and 
ever  will  be  but  a  reflection,  on  earth,  of  the  higher 
attainments  in  the  spiritual  world. 

Raphael  painted,  with  matchless  skill,  such  forms  of 
divine  beauty  that  they  stand  out,  to-day,  as  revelations 
of  a  possible  motherhood,  and  the  church  has  adopted 
many  of  them  to  more  fully  illustrate  its  teachings. 
His  works  were  not  simply  confined  to  color,  graceful 
outline,  or  skillful  combination,  but  all  this  they  were. 
with  an  individualized  spirit  put  into  them,  through 
which  some  divine  sentiment  speaks  to  every  beholder, 
in  language  so  potent  that  even  the  most  obtuse  realize 
its  influence.  Raphael  was  the  medium  for  the  Sphere 
of  Art,  and  while  all  honor  and  praise  are  due  to  him  as 
a  worker,  none  the  less,  without  the  inspiration  above 
and  beyond  him,  that  work  would  never  have  been 
accomplished. 

Perhaps,  after  all,  the  reformer  evidences  more  of  the 
power  of  the  spirit  than  almost  any  other.  That  is,  the 
power  is  more  appreciable  from  the  human  side,  for, 
without  apparent  reason,  he  throws  everything  in  the 
scale :  earthly  prospects,  earthly  ambitions,  oftentimes 
the  respect  of  the  community  and  his  position  in  society, 
and  embarks  upon  a  sea  of  troubles,  steering  for  some 
unknown  harbor  and  never  satisfied  until  he  has  ili- 
covered  such  an  one.  It  could  not  be  supposed  that 


208        A   GLIMPSE   INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL   WORLD. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  from  choice,  took  up  the  cross 
which  liberal  thought  ever  imposes  upon  its  votaries, 
lived  a  life  of  suffering,  and  endured  a  death  of  igno- 
miny, from  any  other  than  a  disinterested  motive ;  that 
Joan  of  Arc  left  her  quiet  home,  on  the  hillside,  to 
engage  in  all  the  horrors  of  warfare,  save  at  the  call  of 
some  intelligence  superior  to  herself,  or  that  the  found- 
ers of  this  country  would  have  risked  the  dangers  of  an 
unknown  sea  for  simply  personal  results.  Or,  again,  in 
later  days,  that  Wendell  Phillips  and  William  Lloyd 
Garrison  started  out  on  lines  of  reform  which,  from 
the  very  moment  of  their  inception,  meant  social  ostra- 
cism to  them  ;  and  what  they  were  to  the  negroes, 
Theodore  Parker,  with  his  grand  utterances,  was  to 
the  world  of  slaves  whom  theology  has  held  in  a 
thralldom  scarcely  less  ignominious  than  that  which 
bound  the  slaves  of  the  South. 

All  of  these  men,  and  ten  thousand  others  whom 
we  might  name,  were  responsive  to  a  corresponding 
sphere  in  the  spiritual  world.  Who  shall  say  that  he 
who  holds  the  destiny  of  mankind  in  his  hand  did  not 
see  that  they  would  be  needed,  and  sent  them  into 
the  world  to  accomplish,  for  its  inhabitants,  a  result 
that  could  be  outworked  in  no  other  way  ?  True  it  is 
they  gave  forth  no  uncertain  sound ;  they  were  su- 
perior to  .all  the  anathemas  hurled  against  them,  and, 
from  the  sublime  heights  of  eternity,  look  down  upon 
the  world,  feeling  that  their  sufferings  were  as  naught 
in  comparison  with  the  great  result  gained  for  humanity. 
Nor  would  this  idea  discount,  at  all,  the  usefulness  of 
the  individual,  or  take  from  him  one  whit  of  the  honor 


A   GLIMPSK    INTO    I  III.    SPIRITUAL   WORLD.       209 

due  his  noble  efforts ;  for  with  him  lies,  more  than  with 
any  one  else,  the  forming  of  those  conditions  wherein 
fruition  is  possible.  Sacrifices  without  number,  disap- 
pointments unrecorded,  and  a  sadness  almost  over- 
whelming, have,  at  times,  fallen  with  prostrating  power 
upon  his  spirit. 

"  I  have  a  strength  the  world  knows  not  of,"  said 
Jesus.  It  was  the  strength  of  the  spirit  perpetual  and 
eternal,  flowing  in  upon  the  individual  life,  that  made  the 
suggestion  of  failure  impossible,  and  overcame  all  oppo- 
sition, and  which  swept  away,  with  one  masterly  stroke 
of  its  hand,  all  of  those  contending  conditions  which  a 
non-appreciative  and  a  non-comprehensive  age  have 
forever  built  up  between  the  reformer  and  the  purposes 
he  desired  to  accomplish.  This  was,  and  is,  a  spiritual 
strength  derived  from  spheres  above  the  earth,  which 
float  in  upon  the  reformer  in  the  still  hours  of  the  night, 
helping  him  first  to  strengthen  himself,  and  then  giving 
him  the  impulse  to  go  forth  to  strengthen  others  in  the 
great  battle  of  right  against  wrong.  The  inspiration  of 
these  men,  and  of  many  others,  is  accepted  by  the 
world,  to-day,  mistaken  and  impracticable  though  they 
often  call  it ;  but  the  source  of  the  inspiration  is  not 
recognized,  and  it  remains  for  the  spiritual  teacher  to 
designate  the  sphere  from  which  it  is  derived. 

Be  it  herein  said,  then,  that  every  man  with  a  strong 
purpose  allies  himself  to  a  sphere  in  the  spiritual  world 
wherefrom  strength  for  its  accomplishment  can  be  ob- 
tained, that  no  human  being  goes  forth  single  handed 
and  alone,  that,  however  many  earthly  friends  he  may 
have,  there  is  a  larger  number  of  spiritual  attendants 


210       A   GLIMPSE   INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL  WORLD. 

who  are  in  sympathy  with  him.  There  are  more  for  him 
than  against  him  ;  but  they  are  not  the  men  of  earth, 
for  they,  at  best,  are  only  followers  in  the  footsteps,  and 
are  seldom,  if  ever,  little  more  than  a  burden  for  the 
reformer  to  carry. 

When  these  men,  who  have  played  so  important 
a  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  world,  are  translated, 
they,  after  conquering  all  peculiar  personalities,  enter 
into  the  same  sphere  from  which  they  received  their 
inspiration  while  on  earth.  They  at  once  take  up 
that  work  which,  to  them,  was  so  valuable  and  im- 
portant. It  must,  however,  be  remembered  that, 
no  matter  how  grand  the  inspiration,  it  is  dependent 
upon  the  earthly  organization  for  its  expression.  Thus, 
Jesus,  while  teaching  the  broadest  charity,  overturned 
the  tables  of  the  money  changers  in  the  temple,  cursed 
the  fig  tree,  and  cried  out  in  despair,  in  the  supreme 
moment :  "  My  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  !" 
Other  reformers,  for  the  moment,  have  lent  an  ear  to 
the  flattering  tongues  of  the  world,  and  forgotten 
the  sanctity  of  their  mission  and  purpose ;  this  is 
simply  the  human  side,  and,  by  the  law  of  contrast, 
only  serves  to  emphasize  the  spiritual  expression  the 
more. 

The  spiritual  world  is  a  world  of  principles  to  which 
are  attracted  all  those  who  are  in  sympathy  with  them  ; 
and, .instead  of  being  a  land  of  forgetfulnessor  heavenly 
bliss,  the  highest  joy  that  a  spirit  knows  is  through 
blessing  and  benefiting  others.  The  affairs  of  earth 
are  of  every  interest  to  those  occupying  positions  in  the 
spiritual  world ;  and,  not  infrequently,  some  one  who 


A    GLIMI'SK    INTO    Tl  I K    SPIRITUAL   WORLD.        _>  |  I 

has  attained  an  altitude  unknown  upon  earth  will- 
ingly leaves  his  centre  of  work  in  spirit  life,  steps  down 
to  earth,  assumes  human  form,  and  becomes,  while  so 
doing,  the  embodiment  of  high  spiritual  laws.  Misun- 
derstood and  reviled  he  will  be  ;  pursued  and  perse- 
cuted he  will  pass  from  one  town  to  another,  and  when, 
at  last,  the  age  will  find  a  culmination  of  its  wrath  in 
executing  him,  he  will  be  able  to  turn  his  eyes  to 
heaven,  asking  God  to  forgive  his  enemies,  saying, 
"they  know  not  what  they  do  ;"  and,  having  endured 
every  human  insult  and  physical  pain,  he  passes  quietly 
into  the  spiritual  world,  not  having  heard  or  felt  one  of 
the  shafts  that  have  been  hurled  against  him.  Such  men 
have  been  condemned  in  their  own  age,  yes;  but  emu- 
lated through  succeeding  ones  ;  yet  they,  in  spirit,  were 
quite  oblivious  to  the  blame  or  the  praise  that  human 
lips  could  utter. 

We  have  endeavored  to  show  you  the  conditions  of 
life  in  the  higher  states  of  the  spiritual  world  ;  but  it  is 
manifestly  impossible,  in  the  limited  use  of  words 
extant,  and  the  more  limited  possession  of  ideas,  to 
dwell  upon  those  states  which  have  no  corresponding 
value  in  the  earth.  It  would  simply  be  dealing  in  what 
would  appear  to  be  insignificant  generalities,  and  would 
convey  no  meaning  whatever  to  the  human  mind. 
Those  states  await  the  coming  of  the  unfolded  spirit, 
and  have  no  direct  bearing  upon  those  laws  controlling 
human  life. 

Be  it  known  that  the  lowest  spheres  of  the  spirit- 
ual world,  however  superior  to  the  earth  they  may 
be,  are  more  or  less  subjected  to  the  influence  and  guid- 


212       A   GLIMPSE   INTO   THE   SPIRITUAL   WORLD. 

ance  of  those  spirits  who  dwell  above  them,  and  who 
are  as  much  more  powerful  and  intelligent  than  they 
as  is  the  highest  condition  of  earth  above  the  lowest. 
Sometimes,  it  is  true,  these  spirits  are  instrumental  in 
inaugurating  important  movements,  both  on  the  spirit- 
ual and  earthly  plane ;  but  they  move  without  direct 
personality,  and  work  wholly  indifferent  to  any  appre- 
ciable recognition  ;  seeking  to  hide  their  identity  in  their 
work,  and  declaring  that  names  are  nothing,  and  attri- 
butes everything.  Such  spirits  are  above  even  the 
Sphere  of  Unselfishness.  Occasionally,  they  may  in- 
fluence, directly,  mediums  on  the  earth  plane ;  but 
usually  their  work  is  purely  in  the  spiritual  spheres,  or, 
if  they  are  brought  in  connection  with  the  earth  at  all, 
one  or  more  lesser  spirits  are  used  as  intermediaries. 
Thus,  the  personal  control  of  a  medium  can  only  be  a 
step  higher  than  the  medium  himself ;  but  that  same 
control  may  derive  its  intelligence  from  the  highest 
spheres  known  in  the  spiritual  world.  But  such  a  com- 
munication must  ever  be  subject  to  the  keenest  exami- 
nation of  the  one  who  receives  it ;  and  if  it  is  not  capable 
of  bearing  such  investigation  it  probably  is  not  from 
the  source  that  it  claims  to  be.  Every  high  spirit  will 
demand  that  you  use  your  very  best  judgment  and 
fullest  discrimination,  and  accept  only  that  which  will 
stand  the  test. 

We  hereby  refer,  in  the  following,  to  those  more  inter- 
esting demonstrations  which  partake  of  direct  personal 
characteristics;  in  other  words,  the  communications  re- 
ceived from  departed  friends  would  appear  to  have  no 
connection  with  what  we  have  previously  said,  and  it 


A   GLIMI'SK    INTO    TIIK    SPIRITUAL   WORLD.        213 

behooves  us,  therefore,  to  devote  our  attention,  for  a  time, 
to  the  consideration  of  such  communications. 

Spirits  who  return  to  the  earth  for  the  purpose  of  hold- 
ing communication  with  their  friends  are  those  in  whose 
nature  earthly  remembrances  and  associations  still  play  a 
prominent  part.  They  are,  for  the  most  part,  attracted  to 
the  sphere  of  their  former  earthly  activities,  and  usually, 
in  communicating,  are  held  to  them.  The  welfare  of  an 
earthly  friend  is  to  them  of  importance  ;  they  will  joy  in 
his  joy  and  sorrow  in  his  sorrow,  and  manifest  those  traits 
which  were  the  all-governing  force  of  their  lives.  When 
asked  about  the  spiritual  world,  they  will  always  reply  in  a 
vague  manner ;  for,  in  reality,  beyond  being  in  a  state  of 
general  contentment  and  satisfaction,  they  know  little  or 
nothing  of  it.  Thus  the  man  of  business  follows  its  cares 
as  a  spirit,  the  mother  watches  over  her  children,  and 
the  friend  follows  the  footsteps  of  his  friend,  seemingly 
wholly  engrossed  in  whatever  is  of  earthly  interest,  and 
looking  forward  to  the  time  of  the  culmination  of 
earthly  hopes  and  for  that  reunion  which  is  sure  to 
come  later  on.  It  must  be  remembered  that  much,  if 
not  all  of  the  trouble  that  arises  on  earth,  grows  out  of 
the  misunderstanding  of  individuals  and  motives,  rather 
than  through  the  spirit  of  contention.  Thus  a 
spirit,  being  able  to  perceive  these  motives  and  pur- 
poses, discriminates  between  what  appears  to  be  and 
what  really  is,  and  mistakes  are,  accordingly,  avoided. 
The  mask  of  deceit  is  torn  from  the  face  of  the  hypo- 
crite, and  pretenses  are  blown  away  like  chaff  before  the 
wind.  The  assumption  of  good  feeling  and  kindly  con- 
tent for  selfish  purposes,  which,  oftentimes,  passes  in  the 


214       A   GLIMPSE    INTO   THE    SPIRITUAL    WORLD. 

world  as  genuine  friendship,  is  easily  penetrated  by 
the  clear  eye  of  the  spirit.  People  who  on  earth 
pass  years  side  by  side  with  each  other,  acting  a 
lie  and  pretending  to  be  what  they  are  not,  stand  forth 
in  their  true  guise  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  they  are 
known  by  all  who  come  in  contact  with  them  as  having 
played  the  part  of  the  deceiver  and  hypocrite.  Brothers 
and  sisters,  husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  children 
who  are  held  together  by  no  stronger  tie  than  that  of 
blood,  will  find  that  death  simply  relegates  and  gives 
to  each  relation  its  proper  position. 

Communicating  spirits,  then,  use  mediums  as  a  means 
of  expressing  their  thoughts ;  and  about  the  same 
amount  of  credence  and  acceptation  should  be  given  to 
their  words  as  if  uttered  by  the  same  persons  on  earth. 
It  is,  however,  a  matter  of  great  pleasure  for  spirits  to 
thus  express  their  thoughts,  and  does  not  hold  them 
back  from  the  path  of  progress,  as  some  teachers  aver. 
The  son  who,  loving  his  mother,  feels  that  she  is  with 
him  on  all  occasions  hesitates  before  he  enters  the  path 
of  vice  ;  the  man  who  feels  that  all  is  lost  because  some 
loved  one  lies  beneath  the  sod  gathers  much  consolation 
from  the  whispered  words  of  that  loved  one  as  she 
comes  to  him,  from  her  spirit  home  ;  and  all  who  walk 
in  the  pathway  of  this  world,  shadowed  by  sorrow  and 
grieved  by  despair,  gather  consolation  and  strength 
from  the  assurances  constantly  being  received  that 
there  is  no  death.  \Ve  live  beyond  the  grave,  and  one 
day,  when  life's  sad  drama  shall  have  ended,  we  will  take 
up,  in  fairer  realms,  the  broken  threads  of  our  lives 
and  be  happy  again. 


PART    XIV. 
50rtE   OF   THE   5<JBTLE    LAWS   OF   LIFE. 


50ME    OF    THE  5<JBLTLE  L.AW5    OF    LlFE. 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congrcn.  la  the  year  18»S,  by  AUGCWTA  W.  FLrrcH.it,  It  D., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congrem  at  Wnliingtoa.) 

There  are  very  few  students  who  have  devoted  either 
strength  or  time  to  the  study  of  that  interior  cause,  the 
outworking  of  which,  in  all  its  varied  shades  of  meaning, 
makes  up  the  sum  of  human  joys  and  sorrows.  The  im- 
pulses that  are  daily  manifested  in  our  contact  with  the 
world,  and  the  individuals  we  meet,  are  but  little  under- 
stood as  to  their  nature  or  purpose ;  and  the  results 
accruing  from  their  exercise  may  be  a  subject  of  regret 
and  dissatisfaction. 

That  there  is  an  emotional  nature,  behind  which  the 
ego  stands,  endeavoring  to  realize  its  desires,  is  true ; 
but  just  what  the  manifestation  of  this  nature  should 
legitimately  be,  and  what  the  purpose  of  such  demonstra- 
tion of  emotion  may  mean  is,  for  the  most  part,  a 
matter  of  conjecture  and  surprise.  Within  certain 
limits,  these  evidences,  whatever  they  may  be,  are 
accepted  as  being  natural  and  right,  since  they  are 
within  the  range  of  the  majority  of  experiences  from 
which  the  standard  of  naturalness  has  been  built.  Any 
expression  that  transcends  these  limits  is  looked  upon 
as  unnatural ;  and,  if  of  a  pronounced  character,  becomes 
a  subject  for  the  condemnation  of  society.  But  who  is 
there  in  this  age  that  is  able,  with  all  the  wisdom  that 
the  world  contains,  to  define  what  morality  really 


21 8  SOME   OF  THE   SUBTLE   LAWS   OF   LIFE. 

is,  to  measure  the  heights  and  the  depths  of  all 
possibilities,  and  to  rear  barriers  which  shall  separate 
the  one  to  be  accepted  from  the  one  to  be  rejected  ? 
Surely  there  is  no  stamping  ground  which  man's  nature 
has  not ;  for  whatever  exists  in  life  is  a  part  and  parcel 
of  it.  What  seems  to  be  unnatural,  and  resulting  in 
abnormality,  is  not,  infrequently,  due  to  the  attitude 
that  we  sustain  toward  that  nature,  and  to  our  limited 
and  circumscribed  means  of  interpreting  its  laws. 

Temperaments,  organizations  and  constitutions  are 
formed,  in  the  first  instance,  not  by  the  desire  of  the  in- 
dividual, but  are  handed  to  him  ready  made.  The 
higher  mind  often  repudiates  and  decries  the  desires  of 
the  body, which,  in  spite  of  all  internal  reasoning,  will 
assert  and  manifest  themselves.  How  far  society  has 
the  right  to  assume  a  censorship  in  this  matter  has 
been,  is,  and  doubtless  will  continue  to  be,  a  subject 
for  debate.  Society  is  bound  to  secure  itself  against 
molestation  and  trespass,  and  yet,  at  the  same  time,  to 
be  governed  by  that  sense  of  high  regard  for  the  indi- 
vidual which  shall,  while  it  seeks  to  control  him,  serve, 
also,  to  unfold  a  higher  state  within  his  own  organ- 
ization. 

Friendships,  alliances  and  marriages  are  the  result  of 
something  more  than  mere  desire ;  there  is  an  under- 
current at  work  which  brings  individuals  together  and 
holds  them,  no  matter  how  temporarily,  subservient  to 
a  law  superior  to  themselves.  The  mistake,  however, 
that  is  made  on  the  part  of  the  individual  arises  from 
his  interpretation  of  what  temporary  conditions  may 
mean,  he  imagining  that  ties  which  then  exist  are  in- 


M)ME    OF   THE    SUBTLK    LAWS    OF    I.II  1  .  219 

tended  to  endure  throughout  eternity.  In  reality,  they 
have  for  their  intention  the  outworking  of  some  result 
which,  when  accomplished,  generally  ends  in  the  djsso- 
lution  of  the  affinity  which  was  supposed  to  exist  be- 
tween them.  Thus  families,  friends  and  communities 
may  sustain  the  most  harmonious  relationship  to  each 
other,  may  walk  on  together  in  the  most  perfect 
accord,  and  yet,  after  awhile,  without  the  desire  of 
either,  they  will  change  and  then  begin  to  drift  apart. 
As  soon  as  this  is  realized,  both  make  an  effort  to 
emphasize  the  old  relationship  and  feeling,  and,  for  a 
limited  period,  this  will  seemingly  be  done  ;  but,  despite 
the  effort,  the  fire  has  burned  out,  and  no  matter  what 
is  said  by  one  to  the  other,  a  distinct  change  has 
come.  There  may  be  external  reasons  why  this  change 
will  be  outwardly  unrecognized  ;  social  position,  worldly 
interests,  and  the  duty  that  is  owed  to  others,  often 
hold  together  crumbling  alliances,  out  of  which  every 
element  of  fidelity  to  that  alliance  has  gone. 

In  many  instances,  a  man  and  woman  who  have  lived 
harmoniously  at  first,  as  husband  and  wife,  and  finding, 
through  these  experiences,  their  unfitness  f<>r  that  re- 
lationship, seem  to  conclude,  without  further  thought, 
that  they  are  necessarily  unfitted  to  sustain  together 
any  harmonious  relationship ;  when,  in  fact,  the  worst 
husband  and  wife  might  become  the  best  and  truest  of 
friends.  The  old  picture  of  the  cat  and  dog  who,  when 
tied  together,  can  find  absolutely  nothing  to  do  but 
snarl  and  scratch,  fitly  represents  the  conditions  which 
are  brought  about,  not  so  much  by  the  nature  of  the 
cat  and  dog,  as  the  relative  positions  in  which  they  find 


220  SOME   OF   THE   SUBTLE   LAWS   OF   LIFE. 

themselves.  Untie  them,  put  the  dog  in  a  sunny  corner 
of  the  garden,  and  let  him  lie  down  to  his  afternoon 
nap  with  a  full  stomach,  and  half  a  dozen  cats  may 
gambol  about  him  without  even  attracting  his  attention  ; 
and  finally  one  of  them,  at  least,  can  cuddle  up  in  happy 
contentment  beside  him.  Take  this  illustration  into 
the  every-day  life  of  men  and  women,  and  you  will  find 
it  a  propos  in  many  cases.  No  greater  mistake  can  be 
made  than  to  conclude,  even  after  long  and  frequent 
inharmonies  have  occurred  in  married  life,  that  they  are 
necessarily  unfitted  for  each  other.  That  they  may  be 
unfitted  for  wedlock  is  true.  The  divine  harmony 
that  should  exist  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  wish  to  be 
everything  in  the  world  to  each  other,  and  especially  with 
those,  who,  loving  children,  desire  to  make  their  home 
blossom  with  these  little  rosebuds  of  heaven,  may  not, 
indeed,  belong  to  the  ordinary  marriage  ;  but  change  the 
relationship  of  these  persons,  and  the  knowledge  of 
each  other's  nature  which,  perchance,  has  come  through 
their  very  differences,  may  have  fitted  them  for  life- 
long comradeship  with  the  greatest  possible  happiness 
and  affections. 

Teach  young  men  and  women,  first  of  all,  not  to  be 
afraid  of  each  other ;  no  greater  libel  can  be  uttered 
against  a  man  than  mothers  make  when  they  impress 
upon  their  daughters  the  necessity  of  having  a  chaperon. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  friendship  between  men 
and  women  allowed  by  society ;  you  must  either  be 
related  or  married  to  the  man  you  know  intimately,  and, 
because  of  this,  women  are  robbed  of  a  friendship  which 
would  go  far  toward  fitting  them  for  marriage,  and  men 


SOME   OF  THE   SUBTLE    LAWS   OF    LIFE.  221 

are  cheated  out  of  one  of  the  sweetest  of  all  relation- 
ships, namely,  a  woman  friend. 

Little  has  been  written  which  throws  light  and  under- 
standing on  the  affections  and  the  attractions  of  man. 
Reason  seems  to  play  no  particular  part ;  in  fact, 
they  are  born  and  continue  to  exist  in  defiance  of 
all  reason,  and  perhaps  the  greatest  sacrifices  known 
'  are  those  which  have  been  made  upon  the  altars  of 
affection  and  love  ;  and  the  strange  part  is  that  they 
were  never  looked  upon  as  sacrifices,  but  were  the 
spontaneous  offering  of  a  heart  whose  highest  joy  found 
expression  in  giving,  rather  than  in  receiving.  Not 
infrequently  the  object  of  the  affection  has  been 
wholly  unconscious  of  the  gift,  and,  in  too  many  cases, 
quite  as  indifferent  to  it. 

Men  and  women  are  not  governed,  as  a  rule,  by  the 
same  law ;  it  is  impossible  to  say  that  what  is  right  and 
best  for  one  is  equally  so  for  the  other.  Male  and 
female  differ  in  temperament  and  character  quite  as 
much  as  they  do  in  physical  appearance  and  formation  ; 
man,  generally,  being  the  positive,  and  woman  the 
negative  ;  that  is  to  say,  man  is  the  assertive  and  woman 
the  receptive.  While  this  is  the  general  rule,  there  is, 
at  the  same  time,  an  enormous  number  of  exceptions  to 
it.  These  elements,  probably,  have  been  emphasized 
by  education  and  circumstance,  and  through  the  past 
centuries  man  has  taken  the  position  of  being  first  in 
intellect  and  general  capacity.  He  has  moved  on  his 
way  with  a  direct  line  of  action  marked  out ;  every- 
body and  everything  being  expected  to  respond  to 
it.  He  is,  by  nature,  sympathetic,  but  not  responsive ; 


222  SOME   OF   THE    SUBTLE    LAWS    OF    LIFE. 

his  reasoning  faculties  are  more  pronounced,  but  his 
intuitive  and  perceptive  faculties  less  so.  He  is  more 
persistent  in  purpose,  but  is  susceptible  to  high  influ- 
ences which  may,  perhaps,  change  the  entire  career  of 
his  life,  when  appealed  to  from  the  more  selfish  or 
emotional  side. 

Woman  stands,  to-day,  undeveloped  intellectually, 
but  ready  to  take  her  part  in  the  great  race  of  life. 
Thus  far  she  has  followed,  rather  than  led,  in  all 
departments  of  human  interests ;  and,  through  lack  of 
opportunity,  has  failed  to  originate  much  in  the  realm 
of  ideas.  Perhaps  this  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that 
man  has  absorbed  some  of  her  intuitive  powers,  and 
put  into  active  practice  much  that  he  has  received 
through  her  keener  perceptions.  The  present  civiliza- 
tion, however,  marks  an  epoch  in  the  career  of  woman 
which  is  destined  to  carry  the  entire  race  forward  to 
such  a  point  as  has  never  before  been  revealed. 

The  century  about  dawning  upon  us  will  be  a  dis- 
tinctly competitive  one,  wherein  the  intellectual  woman 
will  meet  the  intellectual  man,  and,  sex  being  wholly 
ignored,  a  marriage  of  achievements  will  be  one  of 
the  recognized  standards.  The  day  for  man's  work 
being  well  paid,  and  woman's  work  underpaid,  is  fast 
fading  into  the  twilight,  and  another  day  follows  on  its 
footsteps  in  which  the  work  only  is  recognized  regardless 
of  the  hands  that  may  have  performed  it. 

In  bringing  men  and  women  together  into  the 
closer  relationship  of  life,  there  has  been,  and  always 
will  be,  almost  endless  difficulty  resulting  therefrom 
until  the  legitimate  sphere  of  each  is  recognized. 


SOMK    OK    THK    Sl-BTLK    LAWS    OF    1. 1!  I  22J 

There  should  be  an  acceptance  of  the  rights  of  each 
and,  the  personal  sphere  being  kept  intact,  the  many 
dangers  that  now  result  from  the  subjection  of  the  will 
of  one  to  that  of  the  other  will  be  largely  avoided 
and  overcome.  This,  however,  can  never  be  done  until 
woman  has  become  as  self-supporting  and  as  independent 
as  man  ;  then,  when  the  two  come  together  for  the 
making  of  a  home,  it  will  be  for  the  highest  purposes 
only.  Independence  being  thus  developed  in  woman, 
the  result  is  respect,  and  the  object  of  her  life  becomes 
something  more  than  simply  to  marry  and  marry 
well.  To  such  an  one  the  mere  fact  that  a  man  has 
a  certain  position,  which  wealth  or  circumstance  may 
have  bestowed  upon  him,  will  not  then,  as  now,  play 
so  prominent  a  part  in  the  settlement  of  social  re- 
lations ;  for,  being  independent,  she  will  have  as  much 
to  offer,  from  her  side  of  the  question,  as  has  the 
man,  and  there  will  be  no  merging  of  one  interest  so 
absolutely  into  the  other  as  to  lose  sight  of  the  one  alto- 
gether ;  but  there  will  be  an  union  of  two  interests,  the 
personality  of  which  will  be  distinctive  and  the  accom- 
plishment mutual.  This  will  not  destroy,  as  some 
persons  declare,  the  tender  characteristics  of  woman, 
but  will  serve  to  develop  her  powers  and  round  them 
out.  If  her  judgment  and  ability  be  more,  her  sympa- 
thies will  not  be  the  less,  although,  possibly,  guided  in 
their  expressions  by  a  greater  wisdom  ;  and  while  there 
may  be  less  children  born  from  such  unions,  they  will, 
through  more  favorable  conditions,  and  a  clearer  obser- 
vance of  the  laws  of  nature,  stand  forth  as  the  result  of 
a  higher  state  of  civilization. 


224  SOME   OF  THE   SUBTLE   LAWS   OF   LIFE. 

In  the  present  system  of  life,  children  happen  to 
be  born.  Conceived  under  conditions  of  excess  and 
irresponsibility,  they  are  regretted,  and  their  birth  is  too 
often  looked  upon  as  the  result  of  an  indiscretion,  in- 
stead of  being  the  culmination  of  all  that  is  highest 
and  best  in  life.  The  responsibilities  of  fatherhood 
and  motherhood  are  too  easily  accepted,  and  as  easily 
laid  down.  If  the  child  of  the  future  is  to  embody 
the  elements  of  a  higher  manhood,  it  will  be  the 
result  of  the  intelligent  father  and  mother ;  the  foun- 
dation of  this  being  the  observance  of  those  laws 
which  relate  to  a  higher  association  of  two  individuals. 
Every  child  should  be  the  result  of  mutual  desire; 
and  that  desire  should  only  be  accepted  when  all 
the  so-called  lower  conditions  which  relate  to  health, 
surroundings  and  circumstances,  have  been  fully  recog- 
nized. This  problem,  like  all  others,  should  be  a  matter 
of  the  most  intelligent  consideration  ;  it  ought  to  be  un- 
derstood by  the  youths  of  the  land,  and  not  left,  as  it  has 
been,  to  a  stumbling  upon  results,  so  disastrous  in  their 
nature,  and  which,  in  many  cases,  might  have  been 
wholly  avoided.  But  coming  down  to  present-day 
conditions,  and  dealing  with  the  subject  from  a 
stand-point  which  will  appeal  to  the  practical  minded, 
we  have  to  say,  that  very  few  people  know  much, 
if  anything,  about  themselves,  their  own  natures  or 
their  emotions,  and  far  less  in  regard  to  those  of 
others  with  whom  they  are  brought  in  contact.  Cir- 
cumstances and  individuals  induce  conditions  which 
appear,  for  the  moment,  almost  overpowering,  are  ac- 
cepted as  the  final  desire  of  the  spirit,  and  entered  in 


OF   THE   SUBTLE   LAWS   OF    LIFE.  225 

upon,  with  solemn  vows,  sanctified  by  both  church  and 
state,  for  an  eternity.  No  sooner,  however,  is  this 
contract  entered  into  than  its  insufficiency  is  realized. 
Disappointment  is  felt  on  both  sides,  and,  since 
there  is  little  or  no  remedy  for  the  condition,  life  is 
continued  in  a  dissatisfied  or  apathetic  state.  The 
divorce  court,  it  is  true,  is  constantly  called  into 
requisition,  and  crimes  and  vices  are  often  assumed 
by  one  or  both  parties,  in  order  to  break  bonds 
which,  had  there  been  more  intelligence  in  the  be- 
ginning, would  never  have  been  made.  But  where 
there  is  one  advertisement  of  social  and  marital 
woes  there  are,  perhaps,  thousands  of  persons  who 
bear  the  cross  of  sorrow,  and  who  move  among  their 
fellows  making  neither  sign  nor  sound.  The  world 
should  be  full  of  health  and  happiness,  and  it  will  be 
when  intelligence  governs  the  expression  of  the  emo- 
tions. 

Magnetic  attraction  is  the  cause  of  a  large  number  of 
the  unfortunate  marriages  of  the  present  day.  That 
subtle  influence,  so  little  understood,  which  goes  out 
from  one  person  to  another  finds  a  response,  and  directly 
the  two  are  swung  out  upon  this  current  of  magnetic 
attraction,  which,  ungoverned  by  intelligence,  dulls  the 
intuitions,  silences  the  reason  and  completely  prevents 
for  the  time  being,  at  least,  that  action  of  the  higher 
self.  Sometimes,  when  the  current  is  repe41ed  by  mis- 
understanding, a  gleam  of  the  real  character  is  moment- 
arily apparent,  and  each  will  recognize  their  mutual 
unfitness  for  the  other,  and  are  prone,  for  the 
moment,  to  take  a. decisive  step  which,  if  done,  would 


226  SOME   OF   THE   SUBTLE    LAWS   OF   LIFE. 

probably  prevent  subsequent  mistakes  ;  but  the  instant 
that  these  magnetic  elements  again  assert  themselves 
all  this  is  obliterated  and  forgotten,  or,  if  remembered, 
the  reason  is  silenced  by  "  it  will  be  all  right  after  we 
are  married,"  which,  by  the  way,  is  seldom,  if  ever,  the 
case. 

This  magnetism  referred  to  is  a  purely  physical 
and  not  a  spiritual  element ;  it  is,  consequently,  more 
apparent  and  assertive  in  youth,  but,  later  on,  when 
the  character  is  more  fully  formed  and  the  individual 
spirit  is  in  a  greater  state  of  activity,  it  has  less 
power,  because  it  has  become  dominated  by  the  spirit 
itself.  Magnetism  is  the  essence  of  the  chemicals 
of  the  human  body ;  when  it  finds  like  elements  to 
which  it  responds,  they  complete  what  is  called  a 
magnetic  attraction,  and,  so  long  as  one  magnetism 
becomes  nearly  a  complement  to  the  other,  so  long 
the  individuals  are  held  together.  The  moment  the 
chemical  affinity  ceases  between  these  elements  the  in- 
terest in  the  individual  begins  to  wane,  and  finally  dies 
out  altogether,  making  that,  which  was  a  desired  object, 
unsatisfactory  and  insufficient,  there  being  no  higher 
emotion  called  into  play  by  and  through  such  associa- 
tions. Magnetic  conditions  being  thus  outlived,  the 
individuals  feel  little  or  no  interest  in  each  other,  and, 
whatever  the  external  appearance,  each  goes  out 
in  other  directions,  and,  perchance,  may  find  a  spiritual 
affinity  which  the  exigencies  of  society  will  not  allow. 
Thus  a  life  of  deception  is  begun,  neither  being  honest 
enough  to  admit  the  fact,  but  one  or  both  insisting  in 
words,  at  least,  that  there  is  no  change  in  their  feel- 


SOME   OF  THE   SUBTLE    LAWS   OF    LIFE.  22/ 

ings  whatever.  The  careworn  faces,  unhappy  lives  and 
unfortunate  results  of  such  associations  only  serve 
to  prove  too  plainly  the  truth  of  this  statement, 
namely,  that  marriages  which  are  but  the  result  of 
magnetic  attraction  carry  the  elements  of  death  with 
them,  and  are  bound  to  fringe  the  pathway  of  life,  if 
continued,  with  sorrow  and  disease.  Then,  again, 
there  are  many  marriages  that  are  founded  upon 
an  intellectual  appreciation  one  for  the  other,  where 
magnetic  attraction  does  not  exist  to  any  great  degree ; 
but  where  reason  takes  control,  and  says :  "  this  mar- 
riage will  be  a  good  thing  from  a  worldly  point 
of  view."  Consequently  every  other  consideration, 
which  appears  to  be  of  a  purely  sentimental  order, 
is  ignored,  and  the  material  benefits  accruing  from 
such  an  alliance,  which  society  is  appointed  to  sanction 
with  an  approving  smile,  is  received  and  accepted. 

There  is  no  more  disgusting  sight  in  the  haunts 
of  vice  and  wickedness  than  that'in  which  a  young  girl 
is  seen  to  marry  a  man  possibly  twice  her  age,  in  whom 
she  has  not  really  the  slightest  interest,  save  for  his 
money  and  position.  The  sale  of  virtue  in  the  markets, 
going  on  night  after  night,  is,  if  possible,  less  reprehen- 
sible, and  yet,  society  decries  and  ostracizes  the  one,  and 
accepts  and  approves  the  other.  The  state  makes  laws 
against  the  former,  and  yet,  by  other  laws,  sanctions  the 
latter.  Thus  morality  becomes  simply  a  hollow  form, 
regulated  by  the  law  of  society,  which  is  as  unjust  in  its 
application  as  it  is  partial  in  its  judgment. 

Two  persons  of  like  intelligence  will  often  see  how,  by 
a  union  of  forces,  they  are  able  to  accomplish  practical 


228  SOME   OF  THE   SUBTLE    LAWS   OF   LIFE. 

results.  Mentally,  they  are  upon  similar  planes  of  devel- 
opment, and  their  emotional  natures  being  well  in  hand, 
they  are  able  to  force  all  their  demands,  so  that  they  shall 
conserve  to  a  given  point.  Such  arrangements  are  called 
"  intellectual  marriages  ; "  it  might  be  added  that  they 
were  formed  for  business  purposes  only,since  the  bringing 
together  of  property  interests,  the  uniting  of  two  great 
names,  and  the  union  of  social  positions,  are  the  only  con- 
comitants. If  the  lines  of  action  laid  down  in  the  be- 
ginning can  be  carefully  carried  out  to  the  end,  as  is 
often  the  case,  there  will  be  no  bad  results  attendant 
upon  such  a  marriage.  This  marriage  is  one  in  which 
everything  is  left  out,  save  purely  worldly  and  mercenary 
interests,  which,  to  the  practical  minded  are,  after  all,  the 
only  important  points  for  consideration  ;  if,  however,  one 
or  both  depart  from  the  original  plan,  and  allow  other  at- 
tributes to  assert  themselves,  trouble,  disease  and  disgust 
are  bound  to  follow.  Thus  it  is  that  scandals  in  high  life, 
among  persons  of  education  and  ordinary  good  sense, 
outrival,  in  revolting  detail,  like  conditions  in  lower 
spheres,  plainly  evidencing  that  those  of  the  highest  in- 
tellects not  infrequently  make  the  most  grievous  mis- 
takes. However  valuable  the  intellect  may  be,  in  all  the 
departments  of  human  life,  it  is  certain  that,  in  bringing 
two  individuals  together  who  should  walk  side  by  side 
through  life  and  satisfactorily  perform  its  duties,  some- 
thing beyond  mere  mental  perception  and  judgment 
is  necessary. 

Then  there  is  another  class  of  persons,  belonging 
to  the  more  ideal  order  of  life,  who  assume  to  be, 
and  doubtless  feel  that  they  are  more  spiritually  minded 


><>ME   OF  THE   SUBTLE    LAWS   OF   LIFE.  229 

than  the  majority  of  mankind ;  they  put  their  feet 
upon  what  is  called  earthly  attraction  and  seek  a  spiritual 
affinity  wherein  they  hope  to  find  a  responsive  association 
which  shall  embody  fondest  hopes.  But  the  strangest 
thing  is  that  such  a  person  seems  to  know  exactly  who 
his  spiritual  affinity  is;  and,  with  the  changing  variations 
of  his  life,  passes  from  one  personality  to  another,  find- 
ing, at  best,  only  the  temporary  fulfillment  of  his  idea. 
Great  sacrifices  are  often  made,  and  much  suffering 
endured  ;  but,  there  being  only  an  undefined  purpose  in 
the  mind  of  the  individual,  he  apparently  knows  not 
what  he  seeks  and,  consequently,  is  never  certain  of 
having  found  the  object.  Such  lives  are  full  of  sadness 
and  disappointment,  and  are  usually  the  result .  of 
unhealthy  physical  conditions  which  place  the  spirit 
out  of  relationship  with  its  only  means  of  expression. 

The  most  complete  marriage  is  where  physically, 
mentally  and  spiritually  two  individuals  are  responsive 
to  each  other  ;  they  may  differ  in  temperaments,  manner 
of  education  and  social  position,  but  if  there  be  that 
magnetic  responsiveness  existing  between  them  as  a 
whole,  they  are  bound  to  be  happy  in  their  associations, 
united  in  their  purposes,  and  the  outcome  of  such  mar- 
riages successful  in  their  result.  No  such  union  can  be 
formed,  however,  save  upon  the  plane  of  a  complete  un- 
derstanding, first  of  one's  self  and  then  of  the  object 
sought.  This  marrying  to  get  acquainted  after  mar- 
riage, and  looking  upon  that  event  as  having  the  power 
to  eliminate  great  .discrepancies  of  nature  which  appear 
beforehand,  is  a.11  a  mistake.  Marriage  should  be  a 
consummation  of  that  which  has  been  undertaken 


230  SOME   OF   THE   SUBTLE   LAWS   OF   LIFE. 

through  the  guiding  power  of  wisdom  and  love,  and, 
when  the  storms  of  life  come  and  dangers  are  at  hand, 
such  natures  will  draw  nearer  and  closer,  and  not  be 
separated  by  any  worldly  or  contending  influences. 
Distance  or  separation  of  any  kind,  sickness,  or  any 
of  the  fatalities  of  life,  will  not  be  of  sufficient  strength 
to  build  a  barrier  between  them.  Temptations  from 
within  or  without  will  pass  by  unnoticed  and  un- 
realized ;  for  they  have  built  their  foundations  upon  a 
rock,  and,  in  the  complete  responsiveness  of  their  natures, 
have  a  strength  which  defies  all  of  the  opposing  ele- 
ments of  life.  No  individuality  is  sacrificed  or  lost ; 
there  is  a  union  of  two  forces,  not  the  destruction  of 
one  or  an  absorption  of  the  other.  Each  relies  upon 
itself,  and  yet  has  the  interests  of  the  other  fully  in 
view ;  and  a  confidence,  faith  and  trust  abides  in  each 
heart,  making  life  impregnable  to  all  attacks.  A  union 
of  this  character  is,  in  the  highest  sense,  a  true  mar- 
riage, Utopian  though  it  may  seem  in  the  light  of  the 
present  day,  where  pride  and  selfishness  usurp  the  place 
that  higher  sentiments  should  occupy. 

The  onward  march  of  civilization,  leveling,  as  it  does, 
shams  in  every  form,  is  bound,  in  the  end,  to  do 
battle  with  the  hollow  mockeries  that  infest  the  path- 
way of  progress ;  and,  at  last,  lead  humanity  to  that  goal 
where  the  highest  stands  in  noble  superiority  over  and 
above  those  baser  elements  in  human  nature,  which 
have  too  long  governed  the  expression  of  that  which 
is  grandest  and  best ;  but  it  will  not  be  until  man  and 
woman  stands  upon  the  platform  of  equality,  where  to 
each  there  is  a  just  allotment  of  smiles  and  frowns, 


SOME   OF  THE   SUBTLE    I  A\\s   <>i     LIFE.  231 

and  where  each,  performing  his  or  her  part,  shall  receive 
an  emolument  commensurate  one  with  the  other.  Not 
that  man,  because  he  is  a  man,  shall  hold  a  position  of 
superiority  over  and  above  what  his  attainments  merit, 
or  because  woman  as  a  woman  shall  either  be  placed 
upon  a  pedestal  or  hurled  down  to  the  depths  of  endless 
misery  on  account  of  mistakes  which,  when  com- 
mitted by  a  man,  are  passed  over  with  scarcely  a  word  of 
censure. 

A  man,  to-day,  may  do  about  as  he  pleases,  especially 
if  he  be  circumspect,  although  the  world  may  know 
that  his  life  is  regretable;  and,  while  it  shrugs  its 
shoulders,  says,  half  apologetically,  "he  is  no  worse 
than  his  fellows,"  and  accepts  him.  But  when  a  woman, 
no  matter  what  the  circumstance,  oversteps  a  certain 
limit,  there  is  no  anathema  too  bitter  for  society  to  hurl 
at  her,  and  no  judgment  too  severe  for  it  to  visit  upon 
her.  Her  shortcomings  are  never  passed  over  by  the 
"sowing  of  wild  oats"  theory,  but  she  is  expected 
to  be,  like  Caesar's  wife,  above  suspicion.  And  if, 
perchance,  her  name  should  catch  the  shadow,  those 
who  have  stood  between  her  and  the  sun  will  be  the 
very  first  to  condemn  and  ostracize  her.  Society  puts 
woman  at  a  great  disadvantage  by  placing  her  at  so 
high  an  altitude,  or  by  casting  her  down  to  so  low  a 
depth.  As  honesty,  truthfulness  and  justice  are  the 
same,  whether  in  the  heart  of  man  or  woman,  so  should 
morality  be ;  and  what  is  right  for  one  is  right  for  the 
other.  No  man  has  the  authority  to  demand  from 
the  woman  he  is  about  to  marry  a  purer  or  a  cleaner 
record  than  he  himself  is  prepared  to  show ;  and  if  the 


232  SOME   OF   THE   SUBTLE   LAWS   OF   LIFE. 

scarlet  letter  of  prostitution  is  branded  upon  the  breast 
of  woman  so  also  should  it  be  imprinted  upon  the 
breast  of  man.  Society  has  no  right  to  open  her  gilded 
salons  to  one  while  it  shuts  the  door  in  the  face  of  the 
other. 

We  cannot  leave  this  subject  without  saying,  what 
must  be  apparent  to  every  careful  observer,  that  mis- 
takes of  whatever  kind  do  not  necessarily  involve  a 
depravity  of  nature,  and,  if  one  must  judge  at  all,  it 
should  be  with  the  cleanest  possible  perception.  To 
bring  this  subject  to  a  close,  we  can  but  say  that  the 
entire  solution  of  the  social  problem  depends  upon 
enforcing  this  law  of  equality,  above  referred  to,  and  the 
highest  possible  education  for  all  concerned,  so  that  its 
application  may  be  more  fully  comprehended.  Some- 
thing more  than  a  mere  pleasurable  alliance  or  a  success- 
ful union,  from  a  wordly  point  of  view,  must  be  recog- 
nized, and  above  all  this  rises  the  empire  of  the  spirit, 
into  whose  realms  every  man  and  woman  must  enter  if 
they  hope  to  find  peace  and  happiness  in  the  end.  No 
benefits  however  great,  no  position  however  brilliant, 
can  be  given  in  payment  for  the  loss  of  that  spiritual 
recognition  which,  when  once  sensed,  allies  itself  with 
time  and  eternity. 

Where  are  the  highest  proofs  of  love  found  ? 

In  the  mutualities  of  love. 


PART   XV. 

THE  SPIRITUAL  IN  LITERATURE. 


235 


THE  SPIRITUAL  IN  LITERATURE. 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  CnogrM..  in  the  yew  !*»»,  by  ACOUITA  W.  FLncHiK,  If .  D., 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congrat  at  WMhlngton.) 


The  history  of  civilization  is  marked  by  the  potent 
power  that  literature  has  always  exercised  over  and 
upon  the  development  of  all  ages.  Science,  mechanics 
and  art,  which  are  so  many  departments  of  the  human 
mind,  have  each  been  prominent  factors,  as  they  ever 
must  be,  in  the  development  of  all  that  is  possible  to 
man ;  but  the  sphere  which  literature  has  filled  has 
been,  perhaps,  more  comprehensive  and  far-reaching 
than  any  of  these,  since  development  in  the  above  de- 
partments is  easily  superseded  by  more  advanced  rev- 
elations, and  earlier  acquirements  are  relegated  to 
partial  forgetfulness.  But  in  literature  this  is  not  the 
case.  Whatever  is  said  wisely  to  one  age  bears  a  rela- 
tive connection  to  every  other  ;  and,  while  great  strides 
may  be  made  in  various  directions,  the  backward  trail 
is  never  lost,  and  the  student  finds  more  pleasure  in 
reveling  in  past  achievements  than  in  contemplating 
future  glories.  Consequently  the  philosophers,  a  thou- 
sand years  from  now,  are  destined  to  be,  if  possible, 
more  alive  and  present,  as  active  agents  in  the  develop- 
ment of  thought,  than  in  the  age  in  which  they  lived 
and  worked.  This,  perhaps,  is  due  to  the  fact  that  all 
great  minds  have  stepped  beyond  the  limits  which  are 
usually  placed  upon  the  realms  of  thought,  and,  un- 


236  THE   SPIRITUAL   IN    LITERATURE. 

known  to  themselves,  entered  into  that  of  the  spirit  and 
gathered  much  that  is  beautiful  and  lasting. 

There  has  always  been  a  practical  vein  running 
through  every  age  and  time,  which  has  exerted  its  in- 
fluence, and  to  which  the  majority  have  been  responsive. 
The  founding  of  nations,  the  building  of  cities,  and  the 
forming  of  great  enterprises  have  all  been  essentially 
due  to  this,  and  those  who  were  therein  engaged  had 
little  time  and,  possibly,  less  inclination  to  turn  their 
thoughts  to  other  things. 

The  successful  general,  though  possessed  of  an  artis- 
tic temperament,  would  fail  in  his  leadership  were  he  to 
give  any  part  of  his  time  to  the  unfolding  of  the  more 
ideal  side  of  his  nature,  while  a  great  writer,  who  is  able 
to  recall,  with  startling  accuracy,  events  upon  which  the 
destiny  of  the  world  has  turned,  would,  without  doubt, 
have  played  a  sorry  part  had  that  destiny  depended 
upon  his  individual  connection  with  it.  No  matter  how 
diversified  the  nature,  there  are  certain  departments  in 
which  it  is  more  supreme  than  in  others.  Inclinations 
which  it  has  are  so  much  better  adapted  to  the  general 
drift  of  the  individual,  that  it  is  only  through  the  de- 
velopment of  these  that  great  attainments  are  ever 
realized ;  and,  while  there  are  many  lesser  possibilities 
inherent  in  the  nature,  these  can  best  be  called  the 
shoots  growing  upon  the  vine  that  the  wise  gardener  clips 
off  so  as  to  give  greater  strength  to  the  perfection  of 
that  which  remains.  Every  great  nature,  which  courts 
the  admiration  of  the  world  by  the  magnificence  of  its 
attainments,  has  many  other  possibilities  within,  and, 
had  they  been  developed,  they  would  have  been  second- 


THE    SPIRITUAL    IN    LITERATURE.  237 

ary  only  to  those  to  which  it  has  given  the  strength  of 
its  life.  It  is  argued,  we  know,  by  some,  that  it  is 
wiser  to  partially  develop  the  many  possibilities  of  life 
rather  than  to  sacrifice  the  many  to  the  one  or  two 
which  are  more  apparent ;  that  while  we  shall  attain  a 
lesser  degree  of  excellence  in  one  direction,  we  shall. 
none  the  less,  gain  a  greater  development  in  another 
which  is  salutary  in  its  effect.  This  might  be  true  if 
there  was  but  one  life  to  live  ;  but  when  it  is  understood 
that  there  is  plenty  of. time  for  everything,  and  that 
lives  follow  on  in  rapid  succession  until  all  demands  are 
satisfied,  it  can  be  readily  seen  that  the  outworking  of 
one  purpose  at  a  time,  gaining  all  the  experience  that  is 
possible,  is  the  better  course. 

The  great  writers  of  the  past,  like  those  of  the  pres- 
ent, were  so  constituted  that  they  lived  within,  and  yet 
above,  the  general  drift  of  the  world.  The  barrier 
between  the  mind  and  the  spirit  is,  in  such  natures, 
more  easily  penetrated,  and  a  view  of  a  possible  human- 
ity is  thereby  gained. 

Not  infrequently  the  spirit  of  prophesy  speaks 
through  the  burning  words  of  writer  and  poet,  the  full 
import  of  which  he  but  dimly  understands.  His  spirit 
is  lifted  above  the  sordid  conditions  of  earth,  and  rexds 
in  a  conscious  spiritual  life  freed  from  all  that  weighed 
him  down.  No  wonder,  then,  that  he  appears  to  be  a 
dreamer,  to  possess  an  imperfect  mind,  and  to  be  un- 
fitted for  a  close  contact  with  those  who,  dwelling  in 
immediate  relationship  with  earthly  interests,  are  too 
selfish  and  dull  to  enter  into  or  comprehend  even  in 
part,  the  magnitude  of  his  ideas.  And  yet,  the  unrecog- 


238  THE    SPIRITUAL    IN    LITERATURE. 

nized  truth  that  they  contain  is  only  a  prophesy  which 
the  coming  age  is  bound  to  realize  and  accept. 

If  more  attention  was  paid  to  the  impressions  that 
the  poets,  for  instance,  have  given  us  we  should  have 
a  very  different  and  a  more  wholesome  view  of  life  than 
we  have.  But  the  world  seems  to  feel  that  those  natures 
in  whom  the  poetical  elements  predominate  are  never 
to  be  taken  quite  seriously ;  and  while  rhyme  and  rhythm 
are  admired,  the  thought  running  through  them  is  too 
often  lost  sight  of,  and  ignored  altogether.  True,  in 
the  great  epochs  of  the  world,  they  are  called  upon  to 
play  an  important  part,  and  their  words,  filled  with 
enthusiasm  and  prophesy,  fall  upon  willing  ears,  only  in 
turn  to  be  soon  forgotten.  It  is  our  purpose  to  show 
that  the  great  writers  have  always  been  more  or  less  at 
touch  with  the  spiritual  world,  that  the  conditions  of 
life  existing  in  the  realms  above  have  been  reflected,  to 
a  certain  degree,  upon  their  minds,  and  that  they  have 
endeavored  to  reproduce  a  picture  most  tangible  to 
them  in  moments  of  inspired  thought. 

Thus  Shakespeare,  Shelly,  Lytton,  Longfellow,  and 
many  others,  have  all  been  instruments  in  the  hands 
of  the  spiritual  world.  If  their  works  are  carefully 
examined  by  the  astute  observer  it  will  be  found  that 
they  have  suggested  far  more  than  they  have  written ; 
that  an  undercurrent  of  thought  is  apparent,  and,  while 
at  times  almost  concealed  by  the  exigencies  of  the  age 
for  which  they  have  been  writing,  none  the  less  it 
carries  the  mind  onward  to  heights  which  pierce  the 
clouds,  and  loses  itself  in  the  beauty  of  another  world. 

Nor  can  this  be  said  to  have  happened  by  chance  ;  if 


THE   SPIRITUAL   IN    LITERATURE.  239 

one  part  of  the  work  is  to  be  taken  seriously  then  it 
should  all  be  taken  in  the  same  way.  As,  for  instance,  in 
the  works  of  William  Shakespeare,  a  greater  genius  than 
whom,  in  his  line,  the  ages  have  failed  to  produce,  we 
find  a  continual  allusion  to  the  life  after  death.  The 
presence  and  guardianship  of  spirits,  and  the  outwork- 
ing of  human  passions,  are  each  played  upon,  quite  as 
much  by  the  unseen  as  the  seen. 

Indeed,  the  motif  of  more  than  one  of  the  plays  of 
this  prolific  writer  is  based  upon  the  spiritual  idea  alto- 
gether ;  and,  while  historical  events,  circumstances  and 
traditions  are  woven  in  with  \vondertu\Jinesse,  the  cen- 
tral idea  stands  out  all  the  more  boldly  by  contrast. 
That  the  unthinking  follow  these  great  tragedies  from 
beginning  to  end  without  perceiving  their  purpose 
argues  nothing,  for  the  general  mind  accepts  incidents 
instead  of  analyzing  motives. 

The  play  of  Hamlet  particularly  illustrates  our 
thought.  Eliminate  the  ghost  of  Hamlet's  father,  and, 
while  you  have  remaining  all  the  historical  facts,  the 
interest  goes  out  with  it ;  and  yet,  all  the  personages  in 
that  great  tragedy-seem  oblivious  to  the  thought  that 
it  suggests,as  have  thousands  of  others  who  have  watched 
those  events  enacted  on  the  stage  of  a  theatre  for  their 
instruction  and  delectation.  Shakespeare  must  have 
realized  that  the  dead  king  was  not  removed  from 
contact  with  material  things,  that  he  was  cognizant  of 
what  had  occurred  since  he  left  the  earth,  and  that  these 
events  produced  an  impression  upon  his  mind  revolting 
in  its  nature;  and  he  was,  therefore,  uneasy  in  his 
grave,  or,  rather,  in  that  life  beyond  the  grave. 


240  THE   SPIRITUAL   IN   LITERATURE. 

The  human  side  was  influenced  in  death,  as  in  life,  by 
earthly  events,  and,  seeing  that  his  position  had  been 
affected,  and  believing  that  great  wrong  had  been  done 
to  himself,  he  appears  again  and  again  to  his  son,  de- 
manding, from  a  purely  earthly  standpoint,  that  his 
wrongs  should  be  righted. 

Hamlet  was  a  sensitive  youth ;  he  lived  apart  from 
his  kind,  had  been  a  dreamer  of  dreams,  and  was  sus- 
ceptible to  the  influences  of  his  surroundings ;  all  of 
which  are  the  concomitants  of  a  mediumistic  organiza- 
tion. What  more  natural,  then,  that  his  father,  seek- 
ing some  one  through  whom  he  could  outwork  his  out- 
raged will,  appeared  to  this  youth,  and,  in  speaking  to 
him,  manifested  a  knowledge  of  all  that  had  happened, 
and  demanded  that  a  certain  form  of  retribution  should 
follow.  There  seems  to  have  been  no  question  con- 
cerning the  genuineness  of  the  apparition,  as  there 
could  be  none  as  to  the  truthfulness  of  the  statements 
made.  Acting,  therefore,  upon  the  communications 
thus  received,  Hamlet  plans  for  the  carrying  out  of  such 
purposes  as  the  spirit  insisted  upon,  in  all  of  which  he 
finally  succeeds. 

A  more  complete  illustration  of  the  theory  of  the 
Spiritualist  cannot  be  found  in  history  than  is  unfolded 
in  this  tragedy,  in  which  is  demonstrated  the  survival  of 
the  spirit  after  the  death  of  the  body,  the  retention  of 
its  interest  in  human  affairs,  and  the  ability  to  follow 
them,  together,  under  proper  conditions,  with  the  power 
to  communicate  with  those  in  the  earth  life,  not  having 
necessarily  changed  in  character  or  purpose  through 
passing  the  portals  of  death. 


THE   SPIRITUAL   IN    LITERATURE.  241 

Shakespeare  must  have  believed  this  or  he  could  not 
have  written  of  it  with  such  directness.  It  undoubtedly 
was  his  intention  to  have  taught  precisely  this  lesson,  for 
the  non-acceptance  of  which  the  world  cannot  be  much 
blamed,  since,  after  witnessing  all  these  manifestations, 
following  their  guidance,  and  proving  their  truthfulness, 
Hamlet,  himself,  seems  to  have  realized  nothing  of 
their  interior  import ;  for,  in  the  very  midst  of  these 
exciting  scenes,  he  questions  the  facts  in  this  wise  : 
"To  be  or  not  to  be."  He  speaks  of  death,  and  ex- 
presses his  dread  thereof,  as  if  in  the  return  of  his 
father  he  had  not  seen  the  solution  of  the  problem,  and 
the  unveiling  of  the  mystery.  And  in  his  words,  the 
voice  of  the  world  is  heard. 

Again,  in  the  play  of  Richard  III.,  the  vision  that 
comes  to  haunt  his  dreams  embodies  the  same  spiritual 
idea  ;  while,  in  the  still  greater  play  of  Julius  Caesar,  the 
spirit  of  prophecy,  on  the  plains  of  Philippi,  only  serves 
to  more  fully  illustrate  this  thought.  In  fact,  you  will 
scarcely  find  one  of  the  dramas  from  this  master-hand 
in  which  there  will  not  be  some  suggestion  of  the 
spiritual  world  as  it  is  understood  by  the  intelligent 
and  spiritually  minded  of  the  present  day;  and  if  we 
were  to  name  the  works  in  which  a  comprehensive 
illustration  of  the  spiritual  philosophy  can  be  found,  the 
plays  of  Shakespeare,  carefully  studied,  and  their  full 
meaning  understood,  would  stand  first  among  our  se- 
lection ;  for  in  them  will  be  found  so  great  a  prepon- 
derance of  these  ideas  that  they  cannot  fail  to  suggest 
a  line  of  teaching  which  the  thinkers  of  the  present 
day  are  endeavoring  to  give  to  the  world. 


242  THE   SPIRITUAL  IN  LITERATURE. 

Nor  are  these  intimations  of  visitations  from  the 
spiritual  world  confined  to  this  profound  and  prolific 
writer  alone.  Other  men  of  great  genius  have,  seem- 
ingly, caught  glimpses  of  the  great  beyond,  and  tran- 
scribed them  for  the  benefit  of  succeeding  generations, 
and,  turning  their  eyes  heavenward,  have  beheld  the 
dark  clouds  of  doubt  pierced,  here  and  there,  by 
rays  of  hope  that  have  served  to  strengthen  their  weary 
hearts.  The  writers  more  modern  than  these  master- 
hands  have  felt,  in  a  similar  way,  what  they  have  so 
graphically  depicted,  the  expression  of  which  has 
depended  largely  upon  their  own  personality  and  the 
varying  moods  in  which  the  thought  finds  them. 

The  "  Strange  Story,"  by  Lord  Lytton,  is  an  epitome 
of  spiritual  experiences,  rather  than  a  novel,  upon  which 
the  lovers  of  the  mysterious  have  been  able  to  feed 
and  stimulate  their  imagination.  This  book,  like  all 
his  other  works,  is  remarkable  not  alone  in  what  it  says, 
but  in  the  possibilities  it  intimates.  No  more  inspiring 
words  can  be  found  in  the  English  language  than  the 
closing  pages  of  the  last  chapter,  which  compel  the 
feeling  that,  if  the  author  had  only  continued,  he  would 
have  revealed  truths  of  far  greater  importance  than 
have,  heretofore,  enlisted  the  attention  of  the  human 
mind.  In  fact,  the  preface,  itself,  deals  with  man's  life 
in  such  away  as  to  apportion  and  classify  it  into  depart- 
ments, thereby  rendering  its  expressions  more  suscep- 
tible of  analysis,  and  complete  comprehension. 

It  is  accepted,  by  all  thinkers  of  any  degree  of  intelli- 
gence, that,  as  he  states,  there  are  three  lives  in  the 
one  life,  the  body  and  the  mind,  important  factors 


THE   SPIRITUAL   IN   LITERATURE.  243 

though  they  are,  being  subservient  to  the  great  central 
impulse,  namely,  the  soul,  the  destiny  of  which  is  be- 
yond the  comprehension  of  the  wisest.  Later  on,  he 
says  that  love  teaches  there  is  something  of  nobler 
value  than  the  mind  ;  yet  surely  it  cannot  be  the  mere 
body.  What  is  it,  then,  if  not  the  continuance  of  that 
something  which  philosophy  declines  to  recognize, 
namely,  again,  the  soul. 

It  will  be  seen,  throughout  all  of  this,  that  an  attempt 
to  lift  the  conception  of  man  from  the  realm  of  material 
thought  into  that  of  the  spiritual  is  made ;  awakening, 
at  the  same  time,  a  realization  of  the  fact  that  the 
events  of  a  life-time  are  important  only  so  far  as  they 
are  relegated,  in  their  results,  to  the  domain  of  the 
human  soul,  for  whose  perfection  and  development  they 
are  permitted  to  exist.  This  is  quite  independent  of 
any  theological  interpretation,  and,  seemingly,  takes  the 
mind  into  the  domain  of  Naturalism,  where,  without 
doubt,  the  ultimate  religion  of  mankind  will  be  found. 

One  is  impressed  with  the  occult  in  this  "  Strange 
Story,"  and  is  almost  compelled  to  recognize  the  demon- 
stration of  a  mysterious  power  as  a  possible  verity,  even 
though  it  be  entirely  without  the  range  of  human  expe- 
rience. This  is,  perhaps,  partly  due  to  the  strong  hand 
of  the  author,  and  is  also  confirmed  by  an  inward 
responsiveness. 

The  soul  of  man  is  able  to  recognize  as  true  much 
that  the  mind,  through  its  imperfect  education,  would 
reject ;  and,  yet,  who  shall  say  that,  through  a  combi- 
nation of  the  mysterious  and  subtle  forces  in  nature,  it 
be  not  possible  to  make  the  invisible  visible,  and  the 


244  THE  SPIRITUAL  IN  LITERATURE. 

silence  audible  ?  Surely,  not  the  students  of  natural 
science ;  for  so  far  have  they  penetrated  the  regions 
of  the  unknowable  that  many  religiously  inclined  are 
prone  to  think  that  such  explorations  border  upon  the 
profane ;  and,  without  doubt,  the  time  will  come  when 
that  science  which  has  done  so  much  for  the  world, 
during  the  past  century,  will  drop  the  very  prejudices 
which  it  so  largely  condemns  in  its  opponents  now,  and 
cease  laughing  at  what  it  is  pleased  to  call  the  super- 
natural, and  the  wild  vagaries  of  diseased  imaginations. 
Then,  perhaps,  they  will  be  able  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion that  this  author  raises  as  to  who  shall  console  the 
mourner  "  whose  dead  is  dead  forever."  But,  perhaps, 
by  that  time,  they  will  have  realized  that  there  are  no 
dead,  and  that  death  forever  is  one  of  the  impossibilities 
of  nature. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  a  "  Strange  Story  "  will  well  repay 
an'y  reader  who  is  at  all  interested  in  the  so-called  mys- 
terious ;  and  suggest,  at  least,  a  line  of  thought  as  to 
future  possibilities  which  will  assist,  at  any  rate,  not 
alone  in  a  fuller  comprehension  of  a  life  here,  but  in  the 
hereafter  as  well.  Generations  that  are  to  come  will 
read  this  book,  and  find  in  it  a  world  of  hidden  mean- 
ing which,  in  the  light  of  to-day,  is  passed  over  unrecog- 
nized. We  refrain  from  a  more  extensive  reference  to 
the  works  of  this  author,  since  it  is  only  our  purpose 
to  indicate  that  this  and  other  writers  were  alive,  even 
in  their  time,  to  the  questions  which  are  enlisting  the 
minds  of  the  thinkers  of  the  present  day. 

The  American  poet,  Longfellow,  has  wisely  and 
rightly  been  called  the  "  comforter,"  since  his  songs  ap- 


THE   SPIRITUAL    IN    LITERATURE.  245 

peal  to  the  heart,  and,  through  them,  the  spirit  of  con- 
solation breathes  her  sweet  and  divine  influence. 

"There  are  more  guests  at  the  table  than  the  host 
invited  "  instinctively  suggests  the  presence  of  unseen 
visitors,  whose  affections  are  still  strong  enough  to  draw 
them  to  the  scenes  of  their  earthly  life. 

The  stranger  at  my  fireside  cannot  see 
The  forms  I  see,  nor  hear  the  sounds  I  hear; 

He  but  perceives  what  is:  while  unto  me 
All  that  has  been  is  visible  and  clear. 

— carries  with  it  the  possibility  of  the  development  of 
the  perceptive  faculties  to  that  degree  whereby  these 
beings  can  be  seen  and  recognized. 

In  the  "  Psalm  of  Life,"  the  indestructibility  of  the 
soul  is  absolutely  asserted  : 

Dust  thou  art,  to  duet  returneet. 
Was  not  spoken  of  the  soul. 

Could  a  more  emphatic  recognition  of  the  something 
that  is  beyond  both  mind  and  matter  be  made,  than  is 
done  in  these  lines  ?  But,  as  if  to  carry  a  still  fuller 
acceptance  of  spiritual  presence,  he  says,  in  the  "  Foot- 
steps of  Angels  "  : 

Ere  the  evening  lamps  are  lighted. 

And,  like  phantoms,  grim  and  tall, 
Shadows  from  the  fitful  firelight 

Dance  upon  the  parlor  wall ; 

Then  the  forms  of  the  departs  I 

Enter  at  the  open  door ; 
The  beloved,  the  true  hearted, 

Come  to  visit  me  once  more. 

If  these  words  are  to  be  taken  seriously,  or  with  any 
degree  of  authority,  they  must  mean  precisely  what 


246  THE   SPIRITUAL   IN   LITERATURE. 

they  say ;  and  the  forms  of  our  departed  loved  ones  do 
enter  the  open  door,  as  the  cares  of  the  day  depart,  and 
hold  converse  with  us ;  thus  robbing  death  of  all  its 
terrors,  and  making  the  open  door  of  the  grave  an 
entrance  to  that  world,  the  limits  of  which  are  past  the 
comprehension  of  man  ;  and  yet,  all  the  while,  revealing 
the  immortality  of  love  which  forgets  not,  but  seeks 
still  to  guard  and  bless  its  own. 

If  this  idea  was  accepted  there  would  be  less  sadness 
in  the  world  than  there  is  to-day ;  and  fathers,  and 
mothers,  and  friends,  when  they  fold  the  tired  hands  to 
rest,  and  close  the  weary  eyes  in  the  long  slumber, 
would  feel  that  but  one  volume  in  life's  great  book  had 
been  closed,  and  that  another,  whose  words  human 
eyes  may  not  read,  had  been  opened  in  its  place. 
Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  whose  mind  was  particularly 
impressionable,  writes  of  the  spiritual  world  as  being  in 
close  proximity  to  this, 

"It  lies  around  ua  like  a  cloud,  a  world  we  may  not  see." 

And  her  brother,  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  whose 
service  for  humanity  "has  not,  as  yet,  been  recognized, 
said,  upon  more  than  one  occasion,  that  he  had  been 
lifted  into  an  ecstatic  state,  where  the  spiritual  world 
seemed  about  him  everywhere  and  he  a  part  of  it. 

The  "  Gates  Ajar,"  "  Old  Lady  Mary,"  and  number- 
less other  works  entirely  outside  the  realms  of  modern 
Spiritualism,  have,  in  their  teaching,  inculcated  certain 
phases  of  spiritual  law  which  are  at  variance  with 
theologies,  both  past  and  present,  but  in  accord  with  the 
experience  of  every  student  of  the  occult. 


PART   XVI. 

HAS  HAN  LIVED  ttORE  LIVES  THAN  ONE  ? 


249 


HAS  MAN  LIVED  MORE  LIVES.  THAM  ONE? 

(Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1893,  by  AUGUSTA  W.  FLETCHER,  M.  I)., 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  uf  Congreae  at  Washington.) 


However  many  problems  the  intelligence  of  man 
may  solve,  he  can  but  hope,  in  his  present  stage  of  de- 
velopment, to  approximate  an  answer  to  the  question, 
"What  is  Life?" 

He  may  wring  from  nature  many  of  her  secrets,  har- 
ness the  great  forces  of  the  universe  in  such  chains 
that  they  become  the  servants  of  his  will,  read  the 
story  of  the  stars,  catch  the  whisperings  of  the  infinite, 
and  learn  from  the  ever-open  book  of  nature,  laws  of 
great  value  to  himself  and  his  kind.  But  when  he 
enters  into  the  inner  temple  of  self,  and  seeks  to  solve 
the  mystery  of  his  own  existence,  the  laws  of  his  life, 
and  the  mighty  secrets  that  the  future  holds  in  its 
keeping,  he  stands  aghast ;  and,  instead  of  pressing 
onward,  too  often  falls  back  upon  those  questionable 
theories  which  the  lesser  minds  of  the  past  have  left  as 
a  record  of  their  incomplete  research.  Backward  the 
mighty  waves  of  eternity  roll,  losing  themselves  in  the 
measureless  limits  -of  a  distant  past ;  forward  the 
mighty  tide  of  life  sweeps  on  its  way,  carrying  every- 
thing before  it,  until  systems,  kingdoms,  principalities 
and  powers  have  crumbled  into  dust ;  and  yet,  indi- 
vidual life  remains  standing  in  proud  superiority  over 
and  above  the  fading  scenes  of  earthly  existence. 


250      HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE  ? 

That  man,  seemingly,  holds  to  the  present  only,  is 
to  be  expected  ;  his  thoughts,  activities,  ambitions,  all 
relate  to  this,  the  present  sphere  of  his  conscious  life. 
That  he  holds  within  himself  the  sum  of  all  that  has 
been,  counts  for  nothing,  since. he  is  unable  to  unite  the 
experiences  of  the  past,  with  the  actualities  of  the  pres- 
ent, all  seeming  to  be  the  concomitants  of  this  life, 
which  have  sprung  into  existence  with  all  their  forces 
and  abilities  at  one  and  the  same  time.  The  past  is 
related  to  him  only  through  the  lives  and  experiences 
of  others.  He  is  not  able  to  see  that  he  must,  individu- 
ally, have  grown  through  every  phase  of  civilization 
that  marks  the  history  of  the  world,  before  he  could 
possibly  have  reached  his  present  status  of  develop- 
ment. He,  therefore,  speaks  of  the  past  as  a  thing 
apart  from  himself,  of  those  who  lived  therein  as  being 
less  fortunate  than  is  he,  and,  with  an  egotism  born  of 
an  undeveloped  nature,  reverently  thanks  God  that  he 
lives  in  the  present  age  ;  forgetting,  that  those  who  lived 
in  the  age  just  past,  were  equally  as  thankful  that  they 
had  escaped  the  century  preceding  them,  and  that  those 
who  are  to  be  born  a  hundred  years  from  now,  will, 
with  greater  fervor  still,  appreciate  the  blessings  and 
opportunities  of  their  time,  which  will  be  the  result  of 
added  experiences  and  larger  wisdom. 

Man  always  feels  that  the  future  is  his ;  that  what- 
ever there  is  in  time  or  eternity  he  is  bound,  one  day,  to 
absorb ;  and  never,  for  one  moment,  does  he  imagine 
that  he  will  cease  to  hold  about  the  same  relationship  to 
persons  and  things  that  he  holds  now.  Difficult  as  it  is 
to  conceive  of  time  continuing  endlessly,  it  is  far  more 


HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE?      251 

difficult  to  arrive  at  that  point  when  there  shall  be  no 
time,  and  life  ceases  to  retain  its  active  existence  and 
connection  with  the  mighty  forces  of  the  universe. 
Why,  then,  if  man  holds  that  he  is  related  to  all  that  is 
to  be,  does  he  not  recognize  that  a  like  connection 
must  have  existed  with  all  that  has  been ;  and  that 
he,  in  arriving  at  his  present  stage  of  development, 
must  have  been  at  oneness  with  the  law  of  progress; 
and,  as  an  intelligent  entity,  have  passed  through  the 
different  gradations  of  development  in  order  to  attain 
unto  his  present  status  ?  In  other  words,  if  man  is  to 
live  in  the  eternity  of  the  future  he  must  also  have  lived 
in  the  forever  of  the  past ;  and,  instead  of  being  an 
especial  creation,  set  down  in  the  midst  of  to-day,  with 
a  direct  impulse  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the  world  as 
he  finds  it,  he  is  an  epitome  of  all  experiences  that  have 
been ;  the  present  form  of  life  adding  only  one  more 
phase  to  those  that  already  make  up  the  sum  of  his  per- 
sonal individuality. 

We  hold  that  man,  as  man,  has  always  existed.  Posi- 
tive in  his  purposes,  varied  in  physical  form,  but  con- 
tinuous in  his  development ;  and  has  attained  unto  the 
ego,  within  himself,  through  the  natural  evolution  of  his 
spirit,  his  association  with  human  life,  and  the  unfold- 
ment  of  all  those  spiritual  and  mental  qualities  that 
make  him  what  he  is.  The  difference  between  the  un- 
folded nature  which  is  responsive  to  all  the  conditions 
of  life  that  surround  it.  and  that  nature  which  moves 
in  the  narrow  sphere  of  its  own  individual  conceit,  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  first  has  gone  through  all  the 
lower  conditions,  and  used  them  as  steps  in  the  stair- 


252       HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE? 

way  of  life,  whereby  he  has  climbed  up  to  his  present 
height ;  while  the  second  is  stumbling  along  the  way, 
with  little  or  no  comprehension  of  a  higher  purpose, 
but  with  a  realization  of  every  physical  and  personal 
result ;  and  he  will  continue  to  climb  until  all  the  dross 
is  eliminated  from  his  nature,  and  he  stands,  side  by 
side,  with  the  highest.  Thus  is  the  justice  of  heaven 
and  the  wisdom  of  God  made  manifest. 

Those  who  seemingly  court  the  admiration  of  the 
world  through  and  by  their  present  development,  are, 
as  yet,  children  who  have  begun  to  learn  the  alphabet 
of  life,  whose  mysteries  are  as  a  sealed  book  before 
them.  They,  too,  will  pass  on  from  height  to  height, 
from  glory  to  glory,  until  they  shall  have  lost  all 
that  petty  personality  that  mars,  even  now,  the  natures 
of  the  great,  and  enter  in  upon  that  wider  sphere  of 
action  wherein  their  labors  will  find  the  highest  expres- 
sion, in  a  complete  forgetfulness  of  self.  They  may 
find  that  in  the  spheres  of  the  spiritual  world  alone, 
and,  if  so,  they  will  abide  therein ;  they  may,  however, 
accomplish  it  by  returning  to  the  earth  again,  and  yet, 
again,  taking  upon  themselves  human  form  for  the 
specific  purpose  of  acquiring  another  line  of  experi- 
ence ;  and,  each  time,  return  to  human  life  a  more 
developed  man  than  before,  although  not  always  so 
appearing  to  the  casual  observer.  Such  return  is 
dependent  upon  having  exhausted  all  that  one  set  of 
conditions  held,  before  any  new  duties  could  be  under- 
taken or  assumed. 

Thus  the  men  of  to-day  have  moved  through  similar 
scenes  a  thousand  years  ago,  and  the  sense  of  familiarity 


HAS   MAN   LIVED    MORE    LIVES   THAN   ONE?      253 

found  in  persons,  and  landscapes,  is  but  a  remnant  of 
their  past,  which  persistently  projects  itself  upon  their 
present  consciousness,  and  forms,  as  it  were,  an  incom- 
plete memory  of  by-gone  events. 

Be  it  understood,  we  hold  that  all  relations  existing 
in  the  present  are  essentially  of  a  comparatively  tem- 
porary nature  ;  not  that  we  mean  by  the  word  tempo- 
rary that  they  will  cease  to  exist  before  they  shall  have 
served  their  purposes,  but  that  the  purposes  themselves 
sustain  no  permanent  relation  to  the  greater  events  of 
time  and  eternity.  In  fact,  a  life-time  on  earth  is  often 
sufficient  to  live  out  the  relationships  which  that  life 
has  attracted  to  itself.  Parents,  children,  friends,  and, 
in  fact,  all  the  concomitants  of  a  life-time,  are,  seemingly, 
born  only  to  die ;  and  their  true  value  will  be  found, 
not  in  their  existence,  but  in  the  effect  that  they  have 
produced  upon  themselves  and  others.  The  only 
relation  that  has  the  element  of  continuity  will  be 
found  when  spirit  responds  to  spirit,  which  seldom,  if 
ever,  exists  upon  this  stage  of  life. 

We  do  not  mean  that  human  affections  are  hollow 
and  valueless,  or  that  they  end  with  death ;  on  the  con- 
trary, they  are,  for  the  time  being,  of  the  greatest  pos- 
sible importance  ;  and  they  continue  beyond  the  change, 
just  so  long  as  they  serve  the  purposes  for  which  they 
were  created.  But  there  comes  a  time  when  they  are 
outlived,  outgrown,  and  stronger  attractions  are  called 
into  existence,  which  assert  themselves  and  thus  create 
an  entirely  different  condition.  Nor  does  this  militate 
against  the  value  of  the  former.  The  friends  of  your 
childhood  were  important  to  you,  and  served  the  pur- 


254       HAS   MAN    LIVED    MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE? 

pose  of  making  those  days  golden,  bright  and  happy. 
They,  in  fact,  paved  the  way  for  the  stronger  friend- 
ships of  manhood  which  came  after  them  as  a  fitting 
complement  to  the  influence  that  they  had  exerted. 
The  friendships  of  childhood  were  valuable  to  their 
time  as  were  also  the  friendships  of  manhood  to  theirs. 
They  were  not  the  same,  they  could  never  be  the  same, 
for  that  law  of  progress  which  lives  and  acts  in  the 
spirit  of  man,  is  bound  to  carry  it  forward  in  spite  of 
everything,  and,  though  it  may  pass  over  the  graves  of 
past  loves  and  dead  ambitions,  it  only  does  so  to  bring 
him  to  the  resurrection  morn,  wherein  those  earlier 
loves  which  were  only  possibilities,  shall  be  found  blos- 
soming into  realities,  while  he,  having  gathered  spirit- 
ual strength  from  each  experience,  has  grown  into  a 
more  appreciable  state  of  development,  and,  although 
enlarged  in  his  view  and  understanding,  seemingly  sus- 
tains about  the  same  outward  relationship  to  them.  At 
this  point,  he  will  see  that  there  have  been  no  accidents 
and  no  mistakes ;  that  the  loss  and  gain  which,  moment- 
arily, shadowed  his  path,  and  the  misfortunes  that  ever 
have  and  ever  will  exert  their  depressing  influence,  were 
all  factors  employed  in  the  building  up  of  that  spiritual 
self-hood  which  now  stands  forth  crowned  with  the  light 
of  divine  approbation,  not  as  the  conclusion  to  all  of 
life's  purposes,  but,  rather,  the  closing  of  one  volume  to 
open  a  still  more  important  one. 

He  who  looks  out  over  the  sea  of  humanity,  with  its 
heights  and  depths,  its  blessings  and  curses,  no  matter 
how  elastic  his  reasoning,  cannot  assert  that  human 
beings  are  justly  governed  or  apportioned,  if  all  things 


HAS   MAN    LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE?      255 

end  with  the  present  life.  Inequality  forces  itself  upon 
the  attention  until  theologians  themselves  are  com- 
pelled, when  facing  them,  and  an  explanation  is 
demanded,  to  reply,  "  these  are  the  mysteries  of  God, 
veiled  from  human  sight,  to  be  made  clear  only  on  the 
judgment  day."  And,  perhaps,  this  answer  conveys  as 
little  harm  as  any  we  can  suggest,  since,  after  all,  they 
have  said,  in  other  words,  "  We  know  not  why  things 
are  as  they  are,  and  man  must  wait  for  time  and  intel- 
ligence to  furnish  an  explanation."  But  to  suppose  that 
there  shall  be  no  growth  toward  this  knowledge,  no 
approximating  toward  this  reality,  is  to  ignore  the  ex- 
istence of  the  great  law  of  progress  which  theologians, 
and  theology,  alike,  have  always  endeavored  to  repudi- 
ate. 

To  state  the  position  plainly,  we  have  but  to  say  that 
the  soul  of  man  is  a  direct  emanation  from  the  divine 
spirit,  is  the  result  of  the  connection  between  the  soul, 
and  matter,  and,  every  time  this  connection  is  resumed, 
a  different  expression  of  soul-life  is  made  upon  the 
earth  plane,  and  each  time  more  perfectly  than  before. 
That  this  will  continue  as  the  action  of  a  law  upon 
which  perfected  life  is  dependent,  must  be  recognized,  if 
our  conclusions  are  to  be  accepted,  and  that  it  will 
'continue  throughout  the  realm  of  a  higher  life,  in  much 
the  same  way,  until  each  has  eliminated  every  trace  of 
the  processes  of  life,  and,  thereby,  given  to  the  soul  its 
direct  individuality. 

This  is  in  direct  consonance  with  the  law  of  physical 
evolution.  Whatever  the  condition  of  the  planet  may 
be,  it  is  the  result  of  the  sunshine  and  storm  through 


256       HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE  ? 

which  it  has  passed.  The  high  state  of  cultivation  exist- 
ing in  the  present  day  is  absolutely  due  to  the  cyclone 
and  tornado  that  have  marked  the  history  of  the  past ; 
and,  if  the  old  has  passed  away,  and  all  things  become 
new  again,  it  is  in  the  newness  of  form,  instead  of  the 
newness  of  creation,  so  far  as  the  elements  employed 
are  concerned.  The  nebulous  and  glacial  periods,  and, 
in  fact,  all  the  conditions,  of  whatsoever  nature  or  kind, 
have  been  like  so  many  fingers  moulding  and  shaping 
the  planet  into  its  present  form.  Nor  is  this  work  yet 
completed  ;  every  year  marks  the  action  of  this-  mould- 
ing process,  and  will  continue,  far  beyond  the  conception 
of  man. 

A  flower  blooms  on  the  table  before  me,  and,  at  first 
sight,  seems  to  live  apart  from  the  rest  of  the  world. 
It  is  difficult,  for  the  moment,  to  imagine  that  it  has 
grown  up  from  the  damp  ground,  nurtured  by  the  earth, 
and  kissed  by  the  sun,  until  it  stands  revealed  a  thing 
of  beauty,  and  a  joy  forever.  And  yet,  even  as  I  look, 
it  begins  to  wither  and  fade,  and,  perchance,  ere  the 
day  is  done,  its  connection  with  the  floral  kingdom  is 
severed,  and  it  returns  to  nature's  laboratory  with  the 
effect  of  the  flower-life  upon  it,  to  be  worked  over 
again,  and  then  to  enter  in  upon  a  higher  phase  of 
existence.  Its  identity  as  a  flower  has  ceased,  as  that* 
was  not  its  ultimate ;  but  the  refining  results  of  its 
short  life  are  found  in  every  particle  that  it  possessed. 
If  the  old  identity  is  lost,  a  newer  phase  of  existence 
has  been  born  to  take  its  place ;  and  those  wise  in 
science  will  tell  you  that  we  are  more  than  foolish  to 
weep  over  the  passing  changes  of  the  seasons,  over 


HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE  ?      257 

death  in  any  form,  since,  if  the  angel  of  time  walks  the 
earth  bearing  the  torch  of  the  destroyer  in  one  hand, 
she,  likewise,  carries  the  hammer  of  the  builder  in  the 
other,  and  uses  them  both  with  equal  efficiency.  What 
seems  like  destruction  in  the  world  of  things,  is  only  the 
releasing  of  one  power  to  make  room  for  another,  The 
forest  is  leveled,  and,  from  its  mighty  timbers,  the  town 
is  built ;  destroyed  as  a  forest,  yes ;  but  that  destruction 
is  succeeded  by  such  superior  conditions  that  the  wise 
rejoice,  and  the  foolish,  alone,  regret. 

The  entire  theory  of  the  evolution  of  matter,  as  taught 
by  Darwin,  is  duplicated  in  the  evolution  of  spirit ;  the 
only  difference  being,  that  the  scientist  declared  that 
what  appears  to  be  mind  or  spirit  is  the  result  of  the 
physical  elements  constituting  the  human  body,  which, 
in  turn,  cease  when  that  body  no  longer  sustains  its 
former  relationship  with  the  universe  of  matter. 

The  spiritual  scientist  declares  that  the  evolution  of 
matter  is  dependent  upon,  and,  is  the  result  of  the  action 
of  spirit,  and  that  this  planet,  and  every  other  whereon 
life  exists,  is  but  the  school-room  in  which  the  spirit  is 
learning  the  lessons  of  life ;  and,  when  they  are  com- 
pleted, it  will  be  transplanted  to  higher  realms  of  exist- 
ence. And,  without  further  elaboration,  we  pass  on  to 
the  consideration  of  other  phases  of  this  subject. 

It  must  not  be  understood  that  the  individual  spirit 
is  always  directly  drawn  into  connection  with  matter. 
There  are  many  forms  of  re-embodiment :  some  absolute 
and  others  partial  ;  and  allow  us  to  say,  right  here,  that 
in  the  foregoing  we  are  stating  the  conclusions  of 
advanced  spirits  as  taught  in  the  spiritual  world,  and 


258       HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE  ? 

we  must  be  uninfluenced  by  the  criticisms  of  the  reader, 
of  whom,  in  any  case,  we  can  but  expect  that  our 
thoughts  will  be  more  suggestive  than  conclusive,  as 
this  subject  is  not  one  of  logical  demonstration,  but  is, 
instead,  dependent  upon  spiritual  perception  for  its 
complete  apprehension.  Those  who  are  seeking  for  the 
light,  may  find  an  added  ray  in  these  thoughts,  while 
those  who  have  found  it,  will,  at  once,  be  enabled  to 
appreciate  their  value  and  worth.  We  are  more  than 
aware  that  in  them  will  be  found  an  influence  which 
will  produce  a  spirit  of  unrest  and  dissatisfaction,  one 
which,  invariably,  precedes  all  real  growth  of  the  spirit. 
In  fact,  the  entire  object  of  this  book  is  not  to  bring 
peace,  but  the  sword  into  the  world,  that  is,  we  must  turn 
the  furrow  before  the  seed  can  be  planted ;  and  those 
who  are  satisfied  with  the  stubble  and  cannot  realize 
seed-time  and  harvest,  will,  without  doubt,  look  upon 
our  effort  as  a  mistaken  and  misguided  one.  The  South 
Sea  Islander  has  but  a  poor  appreciation  of  the  ad- 
vanced stage  of  civilized  life,  and  yet,  the  civiliza- 
tion that  he  denounces  and  decries,  is  destined  to  ac- 
complish for  him  and  his  land,  what  he  individually  can 
never  do  for  either. 

Re-embodiment,  as  above  stated,  is  complete  ;  the 
spirit  has  passed  through  the  entirety  of  one  phase  of 
its  career,  and,  finding  that  it  can  thus  serve  its  best 
interests,  is,  through  the  subtle  law  of  magnetic  attrac- 
tion, drawn  back  to  the  earth  again.  It  will  take  on  a 
form  of  life  probably  the  opposite  of  that  which  pre- 
ceded it,  and,  in  turn,  will  live  out,  both  in  this  and  higher 
states  of  existence,  a  needed  development ;  thus  it  may 


HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE?      259 

return  again,  and  again,  and  yet  again,  losing  what  are 
called  the  traces  of  identity  but  forever  retaining,  within 
itself,  the  result  that  has  been  gained  by  these  suc- 
cessive lives. 

You  observe  that  we  place  man  entirely  outside  of  all 
physical  conditions,  save  those  which  are  made  to  serve 
the  purposes  of  the  spirit  ;  consequently,  what  are  called 
traces  of  identity  are,  more  or  less,  due  to  the  PERSON- 
ALITY of  the  body,  which  is  quite  a  different  thing ;  for, 
under  all  circumstances,  when  the  spirit  is  divested  of 
physical  conditions,  the  marks  of  spiritual  identity  are 
more  apparent  than  any  physical  conditions  could  be. 

One  life  is  all  insufficient  for  the  accomplishing  of 
the  smallest  of  those  purposes  which  flit  through  the 
human  brain  in  its  most  inactive  moments.  No  matter 
how  well  a  life  has  been  lived,  how  intense  the  efforts, 
or  how  close  the  application,  the  unattained  rises  like  a 
mountain,  and  stands  in  strong  contrast  to  the  mole-hill 
above  which  is  written  in  feeble  characters  the  word, 
"ACCOMPLISHED."  And  it  is  for  the  outworking  of 
all  purposes,  that  the  door  is  left  open  through  which 
the  vanishing  forms  of  one  generation  are  passing,  to 
admit  of  the  return  of  another,  which  will  take  up  the 
work  that  has  been  laid  down. 

Every  returning  spirit,  before  it  enters  in  upon  the 
scenes  of  earthly  life,  is  attracted,  probably,  more  by 
the  law  of  chemical  affinity  than  anything  else,  to  such 
material  conditions  as  will  best  adapt  themselves  to  its 
individual  requirements,  and  the  experience  needed. 

Circumstances  may  have  made  a  man  a  ruler  of  men, 
the  outward  trappings  and  signs  of  office  being  the  envy 


260      HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE  ? 

of  his  time ;  and  yet,  such  an  one  may  be  of  so  ignoble 
a  nature  as  to  stand  far  beneath,  in  spiritual  develop- 
ment, the  hireling  whose  very  existence  he  ignores. 
Character  and  spiritual  development  are  the  standards, 
and  all  things,  of  whatsoever  nature  and  kind,  are 
made  secondary  to  them  ;  consequently,  he  who  judges 
by  worldly  position,  wealth  or  influence  can,  at  best, 
form  but  a  very  superficial  conclusion  as  to  what  the 
nature  of  the  man  really  is.  These  outward  things  will 
as  surely  pass  away  as  that  the  sun  shines ;  but  those 
qualities,  out  of  which  his  spiritual  nature  is  builded, 
are  as  abiding  as  anything  in  time  or  eternity ;  conse- 
quently, true  judgment  is  confined  to  the  latter  rather 
than  to  the  former,  and  upon  this  we  base  our  con- 
clusions. 

The  untoward  conditions  of  human  life  are  all  efforts 
that  the  spirit  is  making  to  attain  advancement.  The 
drunkard,  the  murderer,  and  the  thief  are  what  they 
are  by  the  action  of  a  law  which,  if  understood,  would 
lead  to  milder  judgments,  and  the  employment  of  better 
remedies  for  the  amelioration  of  their  condition. 

When  the  apostle  said,  "judge  not,"  he  uttered  a  most 
important  command ;  for,  from  an  earthly  standpoint, 
no  human  being  is  able  to  form  an  impartial  or  just 
decision  as  regards  states  of  human  life,  which  are  the 
outgrowth  of  the  conditions  in  which  they  have  been 
nourished  and  fed,  and,  for  which,  they  have  been  con- 
structed to  assist  some  spirit  into  the  light. 

To  say  that  the  human  family,  or  any  part  of  itr 
is  totally  depraved,  is  to  reveal  an  ignorant  mind,  and 
an  undeveloped  spirit  in  one's  self.  Each  man  and 


HAS    MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE?      26l 

woman  is  in  a  state  best  suited  for  them  at  the  time, 
and,  whatever  the  experience  that  may  result  there- 
from, it  is  through  this,  and  this  alone,  that  a  remedy  will 
be  found ;  so  that  an  entire  lifetime  may  be  devoted  to 
the  outliving  of  so-called  wicked  traits  which,  in  every 
human  being,  are  temporarily  bound  to  manifest  them- 
selves. When  this  transcends  the  boundary  line  that 
society  has  laid  down  by  which  to  protect  itself,  it  cur- 
tails the  action  of  individuals,  and  thus  hospitals, 
prisons,  and  reformatories  are  constructed  ;  but  those 
who  are  confined  therein  have  as  much  right  to  their 
existence  as  any  human  being  extant.  They,  in  every 
instance,  are  necessary  elements  in  the  great  problem 
of  life,  and  when  the  sum  of  existence  is  added  up,  much 
will  be  given  to  the  bad  that  is  now  withheld,  while, 
perhaps,  an  equal  amount  will  be  taken  from  the  so- 
called  good,  because  it  is  not  legitimately  their  own. 
There  is  no  standard  of  absolute  goodness ;  and  evil, 
instead  of  being  a  positive  quality,  simply  exists  because 
of  the  absence  of  good,  susceptible,  in  the  passage  of 
time,  to  the  playing  of  a  part  which  serves  to  make  up 
concomitants  of  individual  life. 

Men  are,  when  viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
soul-world,  but  children,  and  are  no  more  responsible  ; 
what  seems  to  be  innate  wickedness  is  simply  a  portion 
of  the  nature  that  has  not  yet  succumbed  to  the  culti- 
vation of  the  individual  spirit,  and  is,  for  the  time  being, 
running  to  weeds.  The  very  life  of  evil  on  the  soil, 
demonstrates  the  possibility  of  good,  which  becomes 
reality  the  moment  that  the  spirit  gains  a  supreme  con- 
trol over  all  the  departments  of  life.  In  other  words. 


262       HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES  THAN   ONE  ? 

bad  men  are  incomplete  men ;  the  relationship  existing 
between  the  spirit,  and  the  body,  in  which  it  is  living,  is 
only  partial ;  and,  wherever  the  spirit  is  deficient  in  its 
activities,  the  body,  acting  independently,  asserts  itself, 
and  generally  in  the  wrong  direction.  A  man,  spirit- 
ually, may  repudiate  and  decry  a  love  for  liquor,  and 
yet  be  brought  into  such  relationship  with  its  influence, 
that  the  chemical  elements  of  the  body  will  assert  them- 
selves over  and  beyond  the  authority  of  the  spirit,  and 
before  the  ego  is  able  to  conquer  this  desire,  the  appe- 
tite has  satisfied  itself,  and  the  harm  is  done.  To  such 
an  one,  life  is  one  continual  harassing  regret,  and 
should  it  end  without  the  appetite  being  conquered  and 
overcome,  the  effect  would  follow  the  spirit  throughout 
all  the  earlier  conditions  of  the  spiritual  life ;  but  when 
such  a  spirit  returns  to  the  earth  again,  and  is  re-em- 
bodied, it  would  swing  to  the  other  extreme,  and  be  as 
noted  in  that  life  for  its  temperance  and  sobriety,  as  it 
had  been  distinguished  in  the  former  one  for  the  oppo- 
site ;  having,  thereby,  lived  out  the  influence  of  evil,  and 
expelled  from  its  nature  whatever  bad  effects  resulted 
therefrom.  And  thus  is  the  evolution  of  the  spirit 
carried  on,  until  it  rises  above  every  earthly  power,  and 
becoming  absolutely  self-centred,  governs  whatever  con- 
ditions it  is  brought  in  contact  with. 

It  is  not  possible  to  indicate  the  number  of  incar- 
nations, nor  is  it  important  that  such  indication  should 
be  given,  since  it  is  the  effect  produced,  rather  than  the 
methods  employed,  that  is  the  subject  for  consideration. 

You  may  have  observed  that  many  persons  are  noted 
for  their  charitable  judgment,  gentleness  of  speech  and 


HAS   MAN   LIVED    MORE   LIVES  THAN   ONE?      263 

kindly  acts,  and  are  entitled  to  respect  for  the  liberality 
which  they  have  attained.  You  would,  perhaps,  imagine 
that  this  position  was  the  result  of  a  life  devoted  to 
a  study  of  the  higher  qualities;  but,  in  nearly  every 
instance,  you  will  find,  on  taking  a  retrospective  look 
over  the  past  re-embodiment  of  such  persons,  that  there 
have  been  many  times  when  their  actions  were  most 
reprehensible  and  condemnatory;  and,  for  the  moment, 
you  are  prone  to  say  that  no  person  has  the  right  to 
assume  any  superior  condition  when  he  has  such  a 
past.  If  you  were  to  stop  at  different  points  in 
this  record  you  would,  without  doubt,  find  no  element 
of  saving  grace ;  but  the  result,  as  is  seen  in  many 
instances,  was  for  good,  consequently,  whatever  the 
methods  employed,  you  are  bound  to  admit  that  there 
must  have  been  the  element  of  goodness  running 
through  them,  or,  otherwise,  the  result  could  not  be 
what  it  is. 

Those  who  have  sinned,  and  intelligently  conquered 
its  influence,  are  the  only  ones  who  can  truly  under- 
stand the  sinner ;  those  who  have  suffered  and  learned 
the  lesson  that  sorrow  teaches,  are  alone  able  to  sym- 
pathize with  the  unfortunate,  and  it  is  right  to  say  that 
one  life,  with  all  its  varying  conditions,  is  but  a  type  of 
what  is  the  destiny  of  each  life  to  live  out  to  its  utter- 
most, before  the  full  purpose  of  earthly  living  is  realized. 
That  is  to  say,  the  lowest  depths  in  human  nature  are 
all  to  be  lived  up  to  the  highest  point  in  human  nature  ; 
and  successive  lives,  on  this  earth,  is  the  process  by 
which  this  purpose  is  accomplished. 

We  come  now  to  what  is,  perhaps,  the  most  difficult 


264      HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE  ? 

part  of  our  subject,  namely,  the  objections  which  preju- 
dice and  ignorance  offer  to  this  idea. 

We  have,  first,  on  the  part  of  nearly  all,  a  great  love 
of  individual  life,  and  the  fear  that  this  law  will  in  some 
way  destroy  it ;  that  John  Smith  will  not  always  remain 
John  Smith  ;  that  should  he  return  to  the  earth  in  any 
other  form  and  bear  any  other  name,  it  is  proof  pre- 
sumptive, it  could  not  be  he,  when  the  name  and 
the  attributes  relating  to  John  Smith  have,  in  reality, 
answered  the  purpose  ;  and  returning  a  thousand  years 
afterward  he  would  bring  back  these  qualities  so  devel- 
oped as  to  make  them,  and,  consequently,  himself,  un- 
recognizable. 

In  an  ordinary  lifetime,  the  boy  of  fifteen  is  abso- 
lutely lost  in  the  intelligent  man  of  forty-five,  and  you 
might  as  well  argue  against  the  effect  of  the  passage  of 
time  upon  the  individual,  declaring  that  because  he  has 
apparently  changed  at  forty-five  from  what  he  was  at 
fifteen,  that  he  never  existed  at  that  early  age  at  all, 
but  was  always  what  he  appears  to  be  now,  as  to  insist 
that  in  the  culmination  of  all  past  experiences,  that 
necessarily  recognizable  traces  of  a  former  identity 
should  be  manifested  again.  Such,  however,  is  the  im- 
practicability of  human  nature,  that  it  drifts  on  the  cur- 
rent, unconsciously  deluding  itself  with  the  idea  that  it 
is  holding  on  to  the  same  identity  all  the  time,  which,  in 
reality,  is  slipping  away  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Unde- 
fined as  is  the  future  life  to  the  minds  of  most  people, 
any  explanation  of  that  life  which  apparently  changes 
the  status  of  the  individual,  either  toward  himself  or  in 
any  of  the  conditions  of  life,  is  rejected  without  thought 


HAS   MAN   LIVED    MORE    LIVES   THAN   ONE?      265 

or  consideration.  He  knows  not  what  the  process  of 
continuous  development  is,  and  has  no  explanation  for 
what  has  been.  He  simply  wishes  to  keep  himself  as 
he  is,  while,  each  moment  of  time,  he  is  undergoing  the 
process  of  change,  although  oblivious  to  it.  Upon  the 
ground  of  religion  he  will  find  every  reason  to  de- 
nounce all  ideas  or  theories  that  are  likely  to  trespass 
upon  the  domain  which  theology  has  claimed  for  its 
own. 

This  is  to  be  expected  ;  but  the  thinker,  outside,  can 
have  no  such  objection,  and,  we  believe,  implicitly, 
that  when  science  discovers  the  soul  of  man,  which 
some  day  it  is  bound  to  do,  it  will  recognize  this  law  of 
the  evolution  of  the  spirit  as  co-existent  with  the  evolu- 
tion of  matter.  Until  then,  we  shall  be  compelled  to 
wait,  as  patiently  as  possible,  for  the  result  of  this 
self-same  evolution  that  will  bring  the  scientific  mind  up 
to  a  comprehension  of  the  fact  so  patent  to  ourselves. 

The  most  important  objections  made  by  the  general 
mind  are  that  all  earthly  relationship  will  be  ignored, 
that  fathers  and  mothers  will  lose  their  children,  and 
individuals  will  become  so  mixed  up  in  the  various 
forms  of  life,  that  one  will  not  be  able  to  recognize  the 
other.  This,  we  unhesitatingly  affirm,  is  one  of  the 
results  to  be  most  desired.  All  relationships  existing 
in  the  world  are  the  result  of  time  and  circumstance, 
and  bear  no  relation  whatever  to  eternity;  each  spirit  is 
independent  of  each  other  spirit,  and  the  more  rounded 
out  it  is  the  more  independent  it  becomes.  The  conse- 
quence is,  that  too  much  stress,  altogether,  is  laid  upon 
the  ties  which,  temporarily,  play  so  important  a  part  in 


266       HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE? 

human  existence.  They  are  frequently  outlived  in  a 
short  term  of  years,  and  those  that,  in  the  beginning, 
were  thought  to  be  everlasting  and  all-enduring,  are  con- 
tinually being  supplanted  by  other  connections  which, 
for  the  time,  seem  as  positive  as  were  the  former  ones ; 
and  so  on,  and  on,  until  the  spirit  arrives  at  that  point 
where,  becoming  self-centred,  it  is  able  to  stand  alone  ; 
then,  by  the  law  of  affinity,  those  who  are  at  oneness 
with  each  other  are  attracted  thereto. 

There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  a  child  is  spirit- 
ually yours  because  circumstances  have  made  you .  its 
physical  parent.  There  may  not  be  a  single  point  of 
harmony  between  you  and  the  service  that  you  render ; 
the  protection  that  you  give,  results  from  duty  rather 
than  from  any  higher  nature.  Be  it  remembered,  how- 
ever, that  so  long  as  any  benefit  is  to  be  derived  from 
a  recognition  of  the  apparent  relationship,  thus  existing, 
it  will  be  sustained,  and  will  only  cease  when  the 
mutual  benefit,  accruing  therefrom,  has  ended. 

Again,  the  idea  held  by  many  that  the  spirit  goes  on, 
and  on,  to  nobler  aims  and  purposes,  does  not  form  an 
objection,  as  some  might  think,  to  our  position;  since, 
we  hold  that  the  spirit  is  progressing  all  the  time,  only 
it  does  not  take  up  that  law  through  the  higher  realms 
of  spiritual  life  until  it  has  exhausted  whatever  this  life 
holds. 

To  be  sure,  we  are  met  by  the  question,  "  if  I  have 
lived  through  different  conditions  before,  why  do  I  not 
recall  them  ?"  Our  answer  is,  that  the  understanding 
of  a  condition  is  the  memory  of  that  condition ;  no 
person  is  able  to  realize  a  state  that  they  have  not 


HAS   MAN  LIVED   MORE   LIVES  THAN"  ONE  ?      267 

passed  through,  while  the  circumstances  of  a  trivial 
nature  may  no  longer  make  even  a  faint  impression 
upon  the  mind  ;  yet,  the  spirit  of  the  condition  remains 
with  the  individual,  and  is  in  evidence  as  the  result  of 
that  through  which  he  has  passed.  Without  doubt,  if 
there  be  any  use  therein,  when  the  entire  circle  of 
earthly  life  has  been  compassed,  then  the  spirit  will,  if 
it  desires,  be  able  to  induce  any  phase  of  life  through 
which  it  has  passed,  and,  if  it  chooses,  take  it  up  again. 

The  Spiritualist  insists  that  a  communication  between 
the  two  worlds  is  presumptive  argument  against  the 
law  of  re-embodiment ;  but,  by  so  doing,  he  shows  how 
far  away  he  is  from  grasping  the  thought  itself,  for  we 
do  not  hold  that  re-embodiment  follows  directly  after 
death,  but  only  when  the  spirit  requires  that  develop- 
ment which  it  can  attain  in  no  other  way. 

Thus  a  Spiritualist  can  receive  communications  from 
his  spirit  friends  with  perfect  surety  that  they  are 
present  with  him,  and,  not  until  all  the  attraction  exist- 
ing between  them  has  ceased,  and  all  the  purposes  of 
this  phase  of  life,  in  its  continuation  in  the  spiritual 
world,  as  well,  have  been  absorbed,  will  the  personality 
that  he  knows  be  dropped  and  the  new  one  taken  on. 

But  the  Spiritualist  adds,  "  Such  communication  fails 
to  inculcate  this  idea  of  re-embodiment,  and  when  my 
spirit-friends  are  asked  in  regard  to  it,  they  seem  to  be 
in  complete  ignorance  of  the  law."  This  forms  no 
argument  whatever,  since  all  spirits,  in  a  certain  phase, 
only  reach  a  certain  standard  of  knowledge ;  and  until 
the  moment  came  that  re-embodiment  was  to  take 
place,  the  spirit  would  not,  probably,  be  able  to  recog- 


268       HAS   MAN    LIVED    MORE    LIVES  THAN   ONE  ? 

nize  the  point  for  which  he  was  aiming  ;  and,  at  such  a 
moment  his  former  earthly  friend  would  be  in  exact 
relationship  with  him,  and  comprehend  as  fully  as  he 
does  himself.  The  spirits  of  the  long-ago  are  seldom 
heard  from  in  this  age,  because  they  have  ceased  to 
exist  in  the  individuality  that  marked  them  then,  while 
those  who  have  recently  passed  out,  are  ever  returning 
and  communicating. 

We  might  go  on  considering  an  indefinite  number  of 
objections  which  will  present  themselves  to  every  mind 
that  is  not  prepared,  through  education  or  development, 
to  absorb  this  important  truth  ;  but  we  are  inclined  to 
state  our  position  rather  than  to  enter  in  upon  any 
mental  combat  with  any  one.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
after  all  is  said  and  done,  things  would  remain  about 
the  same ;  growth  being  necessary  for  a  fuller  under- 
standing of  whatever  might  be  said. 

We  would  say,  in  further  continuation  of  our  idea, 
that,  through  associative  influences,  spirits  gain  a  vast 
amount  of  experience  that  sometimes  renders  a  com- 
plete re-embodiment  unnecessary;  through  uniting  them- 
selves with  another  individual  who  is  passing  through 
phases  of  earth-life  which  contain  desired  lessons,  they 
can  gain  a  result  which  is  beneficial  in  its  effect,  and 
helps  to  carry  them  forward. 

The  controls  of  mediums  are  an  illustration  of  this 
idea.  All  such  controls  are  allied  to  their  mediumistic 
instruments  by  an  attraction  which  draws  them  into  the 
earth  so  fully,  that,  not  infrequently,  they  forget  that 
they  are  not  wholly  embodied.  They  are  susceptible  to 
the  whole  range  of  human  emotions,  and,  while  above 


HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES  THAN  ONE?      269 

the  earth,  are  still  within  the  range  of  earthly  influences. 
They  generally  have  been  associated  with  such  a 
medium  from  the  hour  of  his  birth,  and,  usually,  remain 
with  him  until  he  changes  his  sphere  of  existence. 
Thus,  while  they  are  working  for  humanity,  by  their 
advice  and  ministration,  they  are  gaining  for  themselves 
an  experience  which  is  of  untold  value  to  them. 

Such  spirits  are  usually  almost  the  counterpart  of  the 
one  with  whom  they  are  associated,  although  there  are 
many  exceptions  to  this  statement.  Sometimes  the 
influence  will  be  below,  and,  then,  again,  above  the 
recognized  standard  of  the  medium  himself.  In  the 
former  case  much  good  instruction  could  be  given,  and, 
in  the  latter,  much  received.  It  being  fully  understood 
that  those  mediums  who  attract  the  lesser  developed 
order  of  spirits  are,  themselves,  in  the  earlier  stages  of 
incarnation,  whatever  their  temporary  earthly  conditions 
or  surroundings  may  appear  to  be;  while  those  attracting 
the  higher  class  of  spirits  are,  themselves,  further  along  in 
the  series  of  earthly  embodiments  which  are  necessary 
for  the  completion  of  life's  purposes. 

The  spirit  having  gained  all  that  is  possible  by  direct 
and  indirect  association  with  matter,  will  immediately 
pass  on  into  its  stages  of  spiritual  life,  which  it  is  not  the 
province  of  this  work  to  deal  with.  In  short,  there  is  a 
purpose  in  everything ;  though  veiled,  it  may  be,  from 
human  understanding,  it  can  be  explained  as  outwork- 
ing a  result  which,  in  its  finality,  has  but  good  for  its 
aim  and  end. 

Through  the  law  of  re-incarnation  the  justice  of 
heaven  is  made  manifest,  and  one  human  being  has,  in 


2/0       HAS   MAN   LIVED   MORE   LIVES   THAN   ONE? 

time  and  eternity,  an  opportunity  of  realizing  just  as 
much  of  good  fortune  and  of  bad  fortune,  of  sunshine 
and  shadow,  as  has  every  other  individual.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  more  than  indicate  what  we  mean.  Volumes 
might  be  written,  but  it  is  our  purpose  to  awaken 
thoughts  which  the  development  of  ages  will  serve  to 
stimulate. 


PART  XVII. 

THOUGHTS. 


273 


TMO(JQHT5. 


(EnUnd  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  18»3,  hy  Acourr*  W.  FLITCHIB,  M.  IX, 

in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congr««»  at  Wublngton.) 


Beware  of  conclusions. 

There   are   no    finalities. 

Work  is  the  consoler  of  many  sorrows. 

Ignorance  is  the  twin-sister  of  wickedness. 

A  thing  done  in  secret  is  done  all  the  same. 

Creeds  are  the  monuments  of  man's  stupidity. 

Knowledge  is  the  only  stepping-stone  to  power. 

He  is,  indeed,  weak  who  finds  all  humanity  frail. 

No  man  is  strong  enough  to  walk  absolutely  alone. 

Unkind  words  are  often  regretted  ;  kind  words  never. 

Heaven  and  hell  are  states  of  development,  not  locali- 
ties. 

Thought  is  a  tangible  expression  of  the  desire  of  the 
spirit. 

Man  has  not  to  fear  the  devils  without,  but  within 
himself. 

He  who  remembers  his  own  grief  adds  to  the  sorrow 
of  others. 

Restitution  is  better  than  repentance,  since  it  in- 
cludes both. 

Death  is  the  passing  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  stage 
of  existence. 

In  searching  for  the  faults  of  others  you  may  fail  to 
find  your  own. 


274  SUGGESTIVE   THOUGHTS. 

Learn  to  creep  well,  for  upon  it  your  walking  depends. 

The  strong  man  is  he  who  finds  the  most  to  depend 
upon  in  others. 

Reputation  is  like  thin  ice,  serviceable  until  you  wish 
to  stand  upon  it. 

Hate  inflicts  no  wound  so  great  as  that  which  falls 
upon  its  possessor. 

Act  according  to  your  conscience  and  leave  the  con- 
sequences to  God. 

To  conquer  self,  and  eliminate  evil  tendencies,  are  the 
real  purposes  of  life. 

Be  happy  yourself  and  you  will  be  able  to  conquer 
the  sadness  of  others. 

Education,  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  is  another 
name  for  experience. 

No  man  should  judge  another  until  he  knows  him, 
then  he  won't  need  to. 

Justify  your  action  to  yourself,  and,  in  time,  its  jus- 
tice will  be  recognized. 

The  respect  of  the  world  is  a  blessing  ;  the  respect  of 
one's  self  is  a  greater  one. 

Woman's  forgiveness  of  woman  accords  with  the 
capacity  of  her  affection. 

Thoughts  are  great  not  so  much  in  what  they  teach, 
as  in  what  they  suggest. 

Hope  is  the  voice  of  the  spirit  speaking  within  the 
silence  of  the  human  heart. 

Life  after  death  is  dependent  upon  life  before  death, 
progress  being  a  universal  law. 

No  religion  can  be  said  to  be  of  God  unless  it  be  univer- 
sal in  its  application  and  result. 


SUGGESTIVE  THOUGH  IX  275 

Expect  no  greater  excellence  in    others,  than    that 
which  thou  art  prepared  to  offer. 

The  truly  polite  are  the  truly  kind.  Good  manner:-*  arc 
one  thing,  true  politeness  another. 

The  understanding  of  books  is  important ;  but  the 
understanding  of  humanity  is  more  so. 

No  soul  is  lost  by  going  down  to  hell  to  drag  another 
out ;  but  gains,  instead,  an  added  glory. 

He,  indeed,  is  in  a  fool's  paradise  who  is  satisfied 
with  the  small  pleasures  that  ignorance  affords. 

What  the  highest  has  attained,  is  possible  to  the 
lowest,  time  and  eternity  working  out  the  result. 

All  things  existing  are  but  the  representation  of  a 
thought  expressed  ;  thus  thought  becomes  a  reality. 

Justice,  love  and  fidelity  are  the  attributes  of  God ; 
and  as  a  man  is  possessed  of  these,  so  is  he  God-like. 

Every  man  must  become  a  ruler  over  himself  before 
he  is  able  to  enter  in  upon  any  degree  of  real  happiness. 

All  things  that  are  possible  are  possible  to  God  ;  yet 
He  is  governed  by  the  impossible,  as  are  his  subjects. 

Live  each  day  as  if  it  was  your  last  on  earth,  remem- 
bering, however,  that  unborn  eternities  are  before  you. 

Sin  is  a  form  of  disease  which  the  undeveloped  are 
susceptible  to  in  their  passage  from  a  lower  to  a  higher 
state. 

Thinking  evil  is,  in  reality,  one  degree  worse  than 
doing  it,  since,  without  thought,  evil  would  not  be  com- 
mitted. 

The  body  is  the  temple  of  the 'spirit.  Tin  spirit  H 
the  expression  which  the  soul  makes  in  its  contact  \\ith 
matter. 


2/6  SUGGESTIVE   THOUGHTS. 

It  is  not  what  people  have  been,  but  what  they  are, 
that  should  form  the  basis  of  your  acquaintance  and 
judgment. 

Thinking  is  the  activity  of  the  spirit  which,  reflecting 
itself  upon  the  different  parts  of  the  brain,  produces 
a  given  result. 

The  good  are  not  found  among  those  who  have  never 
sinned,  but  rather  among  those  who  have  conquered 
and  overcome  sin. 

Play  well  thy  part,  and  yet,  play  not  that  part  too  well ; 
for  in  the  perfection  of  thine  acting  thine  object  may 
stand  forth  revealed. 

Begin  each  day  with  the  determination  of  conquering 
the  evils  of  yesterday,  and  find  the  good  which  has 
seemingly  been  overlooked. 

Prayer,  when  relating  to  spiritual  attainments,  is  the 
voice  of  the  spirit ;  but  when  relating  to  earthly  desires 
becomes  the  soul  of  selfishness. 

There  is  no  logic  whereby  evil  shall  be  done  that  good 
may  come,  for  in  the  spirit  of  things  it  is  the  cause,  and 
not  the  result,  which  is  important. 

No  man  has  the  right  to  ask  for  any  blessing  that  he 
is  not  willing  to  do  his  utmost  to  obtain  for  others,  and 
only  then,  does  he  become  worthy  of  it. 

The  sun  is  always  shining ;  it  is  only  the  clouds  that 
obscure  its  light.  The  spirit  is  always  in  the  light,  but 
the  desires  of  the  body  obscure  its  rays. 

Those  who  desire  to  be  truly  happy  must  first  be  in 
harmony  with  themselves,  which,  in  turn,  will  bring 
them  into  harmonious  relationship  with  others. 

Any  person  desiring  goodness,  can,  by  thinking  goodly 


SUGGESTIVK   THOUGHTS.  277 

thoughts,  place  himself  in  direct  relationship  with  the 
soul  of  all  good,  and,  thereby,  obtain  his  desire. 

The  developed  man  or  woman  is  responsive  to  every 
condition  of  human  life,  since  development  consists  in 
conquering  and  overcoming  all  lower  conditions. 

Theology  is  one  thing,  religion  another ;  theologies 
change  with  the  requirements  of  the  times  ;  religion  is 
of  God,  and  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day  and  forever. 

Goodness  is  the  only  positive  quality  in  the  world. 
Evil  exists  only  negatively.  All  truly  wise  men  are  truly 
good,  for  wisdom  and  goodness  move  in  the  same  orbit. 

When  man  has  comprehended  himself,  he  has  found 
the  key  to  the  universe.  Everything  that  is  possible  to 
the  world,  as  a  world,  man  holds  within  his  own  organi- 
zation. 

While  the  commission  of  a  sinful  act  can  never  In- 
blotted  out  of  life's  book,  the  result  of  that  act,  by 
earnest  endeavor,  may  be  made  the  stepping-stone  to 
great  good. 

Many  who  are  educated  in  the  schools  know  nothing 
of  life  and  its  responsibilities;  many  who  have  no  edu- 
cation at  all,  are  able  to  comprehend  and  rightly  use  the 
laws  of  life. 

Nature  is  but  one  grand  expression  of  the  thoughts 
of  God  ;  those  who  are  at  war  with  nature  are  .it  uar 
with  God  ;  those  who  are  at  peace  with  nature  an  .it 
peace  with  God. 

In  remembering  the  fatherhood  of  God,  and  the 
motherhood  of  nature,  forget  not  the  brotherhood  «.i 
man,  for  if  that  be  remembered,  the  other  two  follow 
in  natural  sequence. 


2/8  SUGGESTIVE  THOUGHTS. 

When  the  world  has  recognized  the  law  of  absolute 
justice  for  all,  charity  will  no  longer  be  needed  for  the 
unfortunate,  since  it  is  the  divine  intention  that  all 
should  be  alike  blessed. 

Death  is  the  separation  of  the  spirit  from  contact  with 
coarser  material  elements ;  but  the  spirit  will  have  a 
body  of  a  more  refined  nature,  corresponding  to  that 
earthly  one  which  it  formerly  inhabited. 

He  who  seeks  to  deceive  himself  plays  the  part  of  a 
fool ;  while  he  who  seeks  to  deceive  others  is  more  of  a 
villain  than  a  fool.  For  deception  and  hypocrisy  there 
is  no  excuse  ;  they  are,  however,  the  methods  employed 
by  cowards. 

There  is  no  forgiveness  of  sin  either  in  this  world  or 
the  next ;  salvation  comes  only  when  the  sin  is  con- 
quered and  overcome,  since,  like  a  sword-cut,  it  is  bound 
to  leave  its  scar.  Sins  are  like  open  sores,  and  goodness 
is  the  only  ointment  that  will  heal  them. 

The  aristocracy  of  blood  rules  Europe,  while  the  aris- 
tocracy of  money  rules  America ;  but  the  aristocracy  of 
character  is  recognized  in  all  lands  and  all  worlds.  The 
first  two  are  the  result  of  circumstances  external  to  the 
individual,  the  third,  however,  comes  as  the  crowning 
glory  of  interior  development,  and,  instead  of  being 
dropped  at  the  doorway  of  the  grave,  crosses  the  thres- 
hold and  becomes  a  recognized  glory  in  the  world 
beyond. 


U/t?ite   <?ross   {literature. 


SHORTLY    TO    APPEAR. 


THE     INVISIBLE    SELF;    on.   TRAVERSING    THE    UNKNOWN. 

A  romance  of  entrancing  interest,  in  which  Hypnotism,  Thought- transference, 
inn!  ( iccult  Phenomena  of  the  most  extraordinary  character  are  graphically  depicted 
and  described. 


MAN'S    SPIRITUAL    POSSIBILITIES; 

OH, 

THE    TRIUMPH    OF   THE    SPIRITUAL-SELF  OVER    PHYSICAL 
CONDITIONS. 

This  book  is  a  companion  to  "  The  Other  World  and  Thin."  dealing  with  a  ptuue 
of  spiritual  self-hood  which  takes  man  beyond  the  limitations  of  the  body,  and 
brings  him  into  closer  relationship  with  the  Universal  Spirit.  KV.TV  --furfent  of 
spiritual  thought  will  find  in  it.  more  assistance  toward  the  practice  of  the  higher 
law,  than  ran  he  (rained  through  years  of  stndy. 


THE    ALPHABET    OF    LIFE. 

As  a  book  of  reference,  this  will  be  found  Invaluable  both  to  the  student  of 
Spiritual  Science  and  the  general  reader.  Every  pace  teems  with  Important 
suggestions  concerning  spiritual  laws  which,  bv  reason  of  their  application,  are  bound 
to  develop  the  character  and  round  out  the  individual  spirit. 


The  above  works  are  instructive  in  character  and  aim  to  demonstrate  that  th>  rv 
is  a  law  of  life  above  and  beyond  any  of  the  narrow  Interpretations  which  theo- 
logical creeds  have  cndeavorea  to  put  upon  the  phenomena  of  life. 


CHAS.  B.  REED,  Publisher, 

184,    166   *  108    FULTON    STRICT.    N.  T. 


Correspondence  upon  Spiritual  Krlenre  MM. I  It*  hrun.hr.  I.  ln»lird.  All 
roramiinl,  utlon.  will  receive  respectful  •UeatloB,  and  ohould  ke  •ddrrM*4  <• 
the  Puiili.hiT. 


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